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Pico de gallo is the fresh salsa that never lasts more than a day in my house.
It is a chunky mix of ripe tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro, and citrus that’s meant to be scooped with chips, spooned over tacos and eggs, and tossed onto anything that needs a bright, juicy finish.
My version keeps the knife work simple, salts the tomatoes first so the texture stays crisp, and lets you control the heat and acidity so every bite hits that sweet spot between zippy and addictive.
Any kind of salsa, including Salsa Roja or Avocado Tomatillo Salsa, always tastes best homemade!
My Inspiration
Our local grocery store sells really good fresh pico de gallo, but it’s rather expensive. I like that it only includes the exact ingredients that I also put in my recipe, however it’s never as fresh as when you make it yourself.
I also really like the ability to control the heat level. Most pico de gallo is extremely mild, and we like a bit of heat. Everything is adjustable when you make it yourself.
Finally, we eat A LOT of it. A good quality tortilla chip and fresh pico is one of my favorite snacks. If we have fresh pico in the house, it will most certainly go on our eggs during breakfast. And because I’d rather drop $10 on ingredients to make a huge batch rather than $20 buying 3-4 containers that may or may not be fresh, I always prefer to make my own.
There’s also just something so satisfying about all the chopping.
Ingredients & Supplies
Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a high level summary.
- Tomatoes: Unless my garden is overflowing with heirloom tomatoes, I almost always use Roma tomatoes to make pico de gallo. They flesh is firm and they are easy to cut into small uniform cubes.
- Onion: Some people choose to use red onion, but I prefer the flavor and appearance of a white onion. Yellow onion is most likely what you have on hand, but the flavor can be overwhelming, especially when eating raw. The mild flavor of a white onion is much better.
- Peppers: Jalapenos are my go-to, but I will buy some small serrano peppers to mix in with the jalapenos to add extra heat.
- Fresh Cilantro: I’m a lover of cilantro and usually eyeball (not measure) the amount that I add to the mixture.
- Acid: I almost exclusively use lime juice, but if I need the pico de gallo to last more than a few days in the refrigerator, I will swap out part or all of it for distilled white vinegar as it does a better job preserving the vegetables. That’s what I use when I make my refrigerator dill pickles.
- Salt: Absolutely necessary to cut the acid and bring it all together.
As far as equipment, all you need is a really sharp knife and a cutting board. You’ll need a fine mesh strainer if you want to take the optional step of letting the salted tomatoes release liquid before mixing them with the rest of the ingredients.
I’ve also made this pico de gallo using a food processor, but don’t recommend doing so unless you have a high end processor like a Breville that has a specific dicing blade.
Tips and Tricks for Success
Almost too many to list! I’ve seriously made this pico over and over again this summer, and every time I make it I come up with some new tips and tricks to share.
- My recipe is a guideline. What I mean by that, is that you may want more tomatoes or less jalapeno. I recommend chopping each ingredient separately. Whatever you’re limiting ingredient is (remember, I’m a chemical engineer at heart) is what I start with. Meaning, I usually want to use all of my tomatoes and add all of the other ingredients to create the perfect ratios with the tomatoes. For this reason, I’ve started chopping all of the ingredients separately, adding what I think will taste good to the tomatoes, tasting, adjusting, repeating until perfect.
- I can never tell how spicy a jalapeno is at the store, so I tend to buy more than I think I’ll need and will always buy a couple serrano peppers to mix in if I want extra heat. Any extra minced peppers that don’t get used in the pico just get tossed into tomorrow’s scramble.
- Wear gloves when cutting the peppers! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rubbed my eyes at night after chopping spicy peppers and instantly regretted it. If you don’t have food save gloves, just be sure to wash your hands really well with a dish soap like Dawn to get all the oils off.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Again, the full directions are in the recipe card below, but here is a basic summary.
- I start by chopping up the tomatoes and mixing them with salt. This helps extract some of the liquid. I’ll set these salted tomatoes in a metal strainer while I chop the remaining vegetables.
- Chop up the onion, jalapeno, and the cilantro (after you’ve removed any stems).
- Mix everything together. Add the lime juice. Give it a stir and taste. If it’s too tart, add more salt. If it’s too salty, add more lime. If it’s lacking heat, add more peppers. You get the idea.
The pico will store well in the refrigerator for at least a few days. We always consume all of it by day three anyway, so I can’t tell you what it tastes like after it’s been in there a week.
It will continue to release liquid, so use a slotted spoon to serve it or strain it first.
Final Thoughts
Once I started making my own pico de gallo, I pretty much vowed to never buy store bought again. It’s one of our favorite things to have on hand.
Once you make a batch of this stuff and mix it with ripe avocado to make the best ever guacamole, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Now serve that with some Barbacoa Quesadillas and you have an amazing meal!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are quick answers to the things I’m asked most often, so you can nail the flavor and texture on the first batch.
Pico is a raw, chunky “salsa fresca” where everything is minced by hand. Blended salsa is smoother and usually includes more liquid and often canned tomatoes or roasted ingredients.
Roma tomatoes are my go-to because they are meaty and easy to dice neatly. If you use juicy heirlooms, scoop some seeds and watery pulp so the pico does not flood.
If cilantro is not for you, use flat-leaf parsley for freshness, or leave herbs out and add extra green onion for color.
It is great right away and even better after 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator. For longer prep, hold the salted, drained tomatoes separate and combine just before serving.
Use a sharp chef’s knife, keep your dice small and consistent, and dry the board once or twice as you work so tomatoes do not slide. Wear gloves for the hot peppers and wash hands well with dish soap afterward.
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Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped Roma tomatoes roughly 10 tomatoes yields 4 cups, seeds and wet flesh removed
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 cups chopped white onion half of a large white onion yielded 2 cups
- 1 cup diced jalapeno see note below about spice level
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro stems removed
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Cut the top of each tomato off and slice each one in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon (I use my 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon) to scrape out any of the seeds or wet flesh. You will not use those parts. With the remaining tomato, chop them into small pieces.
- Add all 4 cups chopped Roma tomatoes to a metal strainer set over a bowl or the sink and toss with 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Let them sit while you chop the remaining vegetables. This step is optional, but it helps remove a lot of the liquid.
- In a large bowl, add the salted tomatoes (discard any of the liquid). Combine the 2 cups chopped white onion, 1 cup diced jalapeno, and 1/4 cup minced cilantro. Often times I won't add all of the ingredients to the tomatoes – I will add most, stir, taste, and continue to add more of each until it tastes perfect, depending on the strength of flavor of each ingredient.
- Add the juice from 1 lime and stir the mixture well. Give it a taste and add more salt, if desired.
- Store the Pico de Gallo in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
- The longer the Pico de Gallo sits in the refrigerator, the more liquid will be released. Simply strain before serving.
- Lime juice tastes great, but if you need the Pico to last even longer, white vinegar can replace the lime juice and will extend the freshness of the salsa.
- This is an easy recipe to adjust the quantity of ingredients once they are all mixed. Even if you follow the recipe exactly, it will taste different each time based on the spiciness of the jalapeno, freshness of the onion, etc.
- The jalapenos will determine how spice level of the pico de gallo. I find that they are very mild in general, so I like to replace some of the jalapeno with minced serrano pepper for more heat.
- For the best guacamole, mash a ripe avocado and mix with a scoop of the Pico.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
