Pico de Gallo is as Mexican as the Mexican flag: red, white and green! 😀 It’s also an extra delicious salsa to accompany various meals- from tacos to tortilla chips.
The best part is that, as a condiment/sauce/dip of its own, it’s extremely flavourful AND healthy: made with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chili pepper, lime and salt.
The basic recipe is below and can be made in a snap- but feel free to get creative. Many kitchens in Mexico now make variations of Pico de Gallo- namely with the addition of pineapple or jicama in there. I like to add a mixture of pineapple and jacfruit in there too 🙂 Think outside of the box- there are so many ingredients out there you can choose from!
Pico de Gallo (basic recipe)
You’ll need:
- 2 large tomatoes- washed & deseeded
- Handful fresh cilantro
- 1/4 white onion
- 1/2 small chili pepper (jalapeno)- or use a scotch bonnet instead (for Jamaica)- with seeds
- 2 limes
- Salt
The process:
- Chop all the ingredients finely (except the limes and salt). The tomatoes & onions should be finely diced. The cilantro & pepper finely chopped.
- Mix all the above together.
- Squeeze the limes on top and add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Mix everything well and taste.
Notes:
- It is critical to taste as you go. This salsa should taste fresh & vibrant with heat lingering in the background.
- Add more pepper depending on your tolerance for heat.
- Use fresh lime juice- bottled lime juice simply won’t cut it.
- You can make this ahead of time. Freshly made Pico de Gallo will sit comfortably in the fridge for the next 3-4 days. After that, it gets a little “soggy”.
