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Pico de Gallo is summer time staple at our house. It’s hard to beat the fresh bright flavors paired with a little heat from the chilies. Plus, Pico de Gallo is much lighter than many of our favorite dips and spreads (e.g., guacamole, hummus, baba ganoush, etc.) If you really want to keep things healthy, eat it with cucumber slices rather than tortilla chips. It also makes a great garnish for grilled fish or chicken. Serve this perfect Pico de Gallo along side guacamole at your next Mexican fiesta and watch it disappear!
Notes on Pico de Gallo
I think there are several secrets to a perfect Pico de Gallo. However, personal preference is also a factor so experiment and adjust ingredient ratios according to your preferences.
- Use good quality ripe tomatoes: home grown or fresh from the farmer’s market is preferred but ripe roma tomatoes from super market work well too. Pico de Gallo uses only a few fresh ingredients so quality is key.
- Dice your ingredients as fine as possible: this one may be more a matter of preference (I know some folks who prefer chunky pico) but I think the flavors mix better when the ingredients are finely chopped.
- Let the Pico de Gallo rest before serving: I always let the mixture sit for 15 or 20 minutes before serving. I’m actually not a huge fan of raw tomatoes – I used to hate them but but now I can stomach them. I find that when I first combine the ingredients I don’t really like the mixture – the tomato flavor is too raw for me. After a short time however, the flavors blend and I can’t get enough of the stuff.
- Experiment: once you’ve perfected your pico de gallo, experiment with different variations from time to time so you don’t get bored. Try swapping mango or peaches for the tomatoes, using red onion, adding more herbs, or swapping pepper varieties. The possibilities are endless.
Fun Fact: The literal translation of pico de gallo is “beak of the rooster.”
Perfect Pico de Gallo
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Make sure you dice the ingredients as fine as possible – this will result in better flavor! Also make sure the diced chilies and onion have time to marinate in the lime juice before you add the tomatoes (5 to 10 minutes is fine).
Ingredients
- 2 limes
- 1 or 2 Serrano chilies
- ½ white onion
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 3 ripe tomatoes
- ¼ cup cilantro
Instructions
- Zest 1 lime. Then juice both limes into a medium size serving bowl. Add the zest.
- Mince the chilies and onions. Add them to the lime juice along with the salt. Stir to combine.
- Core the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Dice the flesh into very small pieces.
- Finely chop the cilantro.
- Add tomatoes and cilantro to bowl. Stir to combine. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Serrano peppers are hotter than jalapenos (by about 3 times on average). If you don’t like heat or you can’t find serrano peppers you can easily substitute jalapenos.
