Pico de Gallo
Add fresh and crisp Pico de Gallo to your meals for a truly refreshing food experience! With fresh ripe tomatoes, sweet onion, cilantro, and a touch of fresh jalapeños and lime juice, this little side dish will brighten up your meal. It is so quick and simple to make, but it adds so much flavor your dish. Give this a try today!
What Is Pico de Gallo?
Pico de Gallo is a classic salsa used in Mexican food. There are so many variations, but there’s usually always diced tomatoes and onions with fresh cilantro and lime juice and some salt and pepper. Most of the time you’ll also find some garlic and other spices like cumin or red pepper flakes.
The main difference between Pico de Gallo, or “Pico”, and traditional salsa is the consistency. Pico is chunky with little liquid while salsa is less chunky and has more liquid. Additionally, Pico is always fresh and uncooked, while salsa is sometimes cooked.
The Secret to My Pico
My children, especially my son, love my Pico de Gallo. But it did take some trial and error to get it just right.
I love my Pico with garlic. And fresh garlic is awesome! However, when fresh garlic is allowed to sit in something like Pico, it gets stronger. So I was left with a dilemma. Whenever I made a large batch, by the next day it was so spicy my kids wouldn’t eat it. And, at times, it would even be too hot for my wife and I.
I finally found the solution. Garlic Powder! Yeah, it’s not the same, but, you still get that garlic flavor without the punch. I’ve served this to my Puerto Rican friend who’s been a close buddy of mine for decades, and he said it was one of the best he ever had. I tried to get him to say it was better than his mother’s, but he wouldn’t dare (smart man!).
What Goes in This Pico de Gallo?
The ingredients are basic and simple. And you have to use fresh. It just won’t be the same.
- Tomatoes – I like using vine ripe tomatoes
- Sweet Onions – don’t use yellow, but you can use Vidalia
- Fresh Cilantro
- Jalapeño – I remove the seeds to keep it mild, but you can keep them if you want it a little spicy
- Lime Juice – 1 lime should do it
- Garlic Powder
- Salt and Pepper
Are There Any Substitutions?
As with many things, you can make some substitutions with this recipe
- Sweet Onions – you can use Vidalia onions with this and it’ll still taste great. If you only have yellow onions, that’ll work, too, but you will change the flavor
- Jalapeño – for a spicier flare, use a serrano pepper
- Garlic Powder – if you are making a small batch, go ahead and use fresh garlic – it’ll be amazing!
- Fresh Cilantro – if you can’t get fresh, dried will work, but not as tasty
- Fresh Lime Juice – you can use 2 tablespoons of bottled lime juice
Instructions
The instructions are very simple:
- Cut the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno and put them in a mixing bowl
- Next, add the lime juice, chopped cilantro, and garlic powder and stir well to make sure everything is mixed evenly
- Add the salt and pepper and mix well
- Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours
Pro Tip – for the best flavor, cover it and let chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours before serving. About 10 minutes before serving, take it out of the fridge and transfer some to a glass or ceramic bowl. This will help it stay cool, but it will lose the initial chill from coming straight out of the fridge.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tomatoes, small diced
- 1 cup Sweet Onions, small diced
- 1 medium Jalapeño, seeds removed & diced small
- 1/4 cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- Juice 1 medium Lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
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Add the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno to a mixing bowl and stir.
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Next add the cilantro, lime juice, and garlic powder and mix well until everything looks evenly mixed.
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Add the salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Add the salt last because it will draw out the liquid from the tomatoes.
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For best taste, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.
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