Authentic Pico De Gallo is a fresh mix of diced roma tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion and squeezed lime juice. This Mexican classic can spice up any dish!
Easy Pico De Gall Recipe
There I was, holding a street taco in Cancun, mouth watering, and ready to completely SMASH this meal. This pastor taco with freshly made pico de gallo was everything I dreamed about. I guess you could say it was love at first sight.
Cancun is a favorite family spot to go visit, and I am so excited to say my sister found the love of her life there! Now I can pick her fiance’s brain on all the traditional Mexican dishes! SCORE.
Mexican food is insanely delicious. If you don’t like Mexican food, you can just leave… alright, that was overdramatic, but seriously! Cumin, cilantro, and spicey flavors are favorites in this house!
What does Pico De Gallo translate to?
Pico de gallo has a surprising translation. Picco de gall is pronouned like PEEK-o day GUY-yo. Easy to say, right?
Pico de gallo is also interchangeably called salsa fresco (meaning fresh salsa) or salsa cruda. Whatever you call it, the juicy blend of tomatoes, cilantro, onion, jalapeno, and fresh squeezed lime is called delicious in my book.
Now to explain pico de gallo’s translation. From Spanish to English, pico de gallo translates to “rooster’s beak.” There is no clear explanation of why, but I will tell you from personal experience, my chickens love any kitchen scraps, including pico de gallo.
How to make authentic Mexican Pico De Gallo
- Roma tomatoes are fleshy, can easily be deseeded, and fit in the palm of your hand, making them easier to work with and dice.
Pick fresh red tomatoes that smell vibrant and fragrant. Tomatoes lacking a bright red color, are too mushy to the touch, or have thin skin/flesh will not make a good pico de gallo.
These less than perfect tomatoes can produce a super watery pico de gallo, or leave your dish lacking that fresh summertime flavor. - Give it time to marinate. Like any delicious dish, the ingredients are added methodically to bring out the deepest flavors and enhance others. Pico de gallo is no different.
Let pico de gallo rest in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to let the flavors marry, the juices to mix, and let it get a little cold. This has proven to be a crucial step for the most flavorful pico de gallo. - Do not deseed the jalapeno. Pico de gallo is meant to have lots of flavors, and the addition of the jalapeno seeds really kicks it up a notch.
The heat of the jalapeno is held in the ribs and the seeds. The pico de gallo with jalapeno seeds is not spicey, it adds the perfect balance of flavor. - Use a red onion. Red onions are generally used when a raw onion is used in a recipe. Why? The red onion does not hold up in flavor as well as a white or yellow onion when it is heated. Also, red onions have a sweeter tang to them, making them more tolerable to the average person’s palate when eaten raw.
- Dice finely. If you have a food processor, toss each ingredient in separately, and then add to the bowl one by one. This ensures that that blender is not over packed, and can dice the ingredients proficiently.
- Drain the tomatoes. After deseeding and dicing the tomatoes, throw them in a fine strainer and toss a pinch of salt on it. This will help expell the juices a little more. The pico de gallo will still continue to expel juices after it is initially strained, so don’t worry about it being dry!
- Serve with a slotted spoon. Pico de gallo is a wet dish since the onion and tomatoes will continue to expel their juices. To serve pico de gallo, grab a slotted spoon to serve it.
Pico de gallo ingredients
What ingredients do I need to make pico de gallo?
- Roma tomatoes
- fresh cilantro
- red onion
- jalapeno
- fresh squeezed lime juice
How to use pico de gall
- Copy Cat Panera Bread Baja Maca and Cheese
- fresh corn tortillas
- Street Tacos
- enchiladas
- flautas
- Beef Burritos
Other Sea Salt Savorings Classics
- These Creamy Vegetarian Black Bean Taquitos are packed full of black beans, green chiles, cauliflower rice, and a perfect blend of Mexican spices. With every crunchy bite, there is no doubt this will be your favorite vegetarian dish!
- Salsa Verde Street tacos made with authentic salsa verde is a quick but wholesome meal!
- Ten Minute Huevos Ranchers is an easy and quick meal packed with protein to help you get the day started!
- Cuba’s National dish, Ropa Veija, is an easy to make dish, and even translates nicely to the crockpot. Serve it over some white or yellow rice and you are golden!
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to stay in touch! I love to see your creations! Tag me at #SeaSaltSavorings to show me what you’ve made!
Pico De Gallo
Authentic Pico De Gallo is a fresh mix of diced roma tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion and squeezed lime juice. This Mexican classic can spice up any dish!
Ingredients
- 5 roma tomatoes halved, and deseeded
- 1 red onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 lime halved and squeezed
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
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Cut the tomatoes in half, and use a spoon to deseed them. Discard seeds. Place tomatoes in a blender and blend until finely chopped, or chop finely with a knife. Place in a strainer and throw a pinch of salt on it. Let tomatoes rest in a strainer for 5 minutes.
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Chop onion, jalapeno (do not deseed), and cilantro finely. Place in a bowl. Add tomatoes to the bowl.
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Halve the lime, and squeeze the lime juice in the bowl with the produce mixture. Toss in salt, and stir to combine. Place the bowl in the fridge for 10-20 minute to get cold and let the flavors marry. Mangia!
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