Pico de Gallo Recipe

Fresh, spicy, and bright, pico de gallo is a salsa that’s perfect for topping tacos, burritos, rice bowls, and many more dishes. This is a simple salsa in Mexican cuisine, but one with lots of flavor and versatility.

Pico de Gallo is one of my favorite salsas because of its simple flavors. It gives a nice freshness and brightness to almost any dish!

Whether I’m spooning it over tacos, grilled meats, or even eggs, it always brings a delicious pop of flavor. I hope you also enjoy this great salsa as much as I do!

What is Pico de Gallo?

Pico de gallo or roosters beak in English, is a classic Mexican salsa made with tomatoes, chiles, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. It’s one of the most popular salsas in Mexico and you’ll find it in many restaurants and homes all over the country. There are several versions that explain why it’s called pico de gallo, although none of these has really been confirmed either. One story mentions that the name comes from the shape of the chopped ingredients, that they look as if a rooster would have chopped them with their beak. Another story mentions that the name came from the way the salsa looks, some say it looks like bite size pieces of food roosters eat.

What we do know is that pico de gallo turned out to become one of the most well known and loved salsas in Mexican cuisine! It’s a fresh, bright, and spicy salsa with a bit of a bite because the ingredients are finely chopped versus mashed or pureed.

Pico de gallo also goes by the names of salsa de bandera, salsa Mexicana, or salsa fresca which translates to flag sauce, Mexican sauce, or fresh sauce in English. It goes by flag or Mexican sauce because the salsa is made up of ingredients that resemble the Mexican flag. The green from the chiles and cilantro, the white from the onion, and the red from the tomatoes. The name fresh sauce is because the ingredients are all raw and fresh tasting.

Variations

There are several variations of pico de gallo, like many other dishes and recipes in Mexico. These variations can sometimes depend on the region of the country. There are recipes where mango, pineapple, or sometimes jicama is added. Most of these variations almost always include the three base ingredients which are the tomatoes, onion, and chiles.

With these variations the types of chiles and onion used can vary too. For example in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico there are pico de Gallo recipes that use red onion and habanero chiles instead of white onion and jalapeño or serrano chiles. The best part of having these variations is that they all have different flavors to add to your dishes!

How to make Pico de Gallo?

1. Finley chop jalapeño or serrano chiles, white onion, tomatoes, and cilantro.
2. Add chopped ingredients to a bowl and mix together.

3. Add salt and lime juice to the mixed ingredients and stir these in until well incorporated.
4. Taste and adjust salt and lime juice if needed.

Tips and Suggestions

1. Make sure to core the tomatoes, this is to help the salsa not turn too watery.
2. Add the salt and lime juice once the rest of the ingredients have been added into the bowl. You can season and adjust to your preference this way.
3. If you prefer a spicy salsa start with one jalapeño or serrano and leave the seeds and veins in. For a more mild salsa, remove the seeds and veins.
4. It’s best to serve pico de gallo as soon as it’s prepared to enjoy that freshness it’s known for. The texture and flavor of the salsa starts to degrade. If necessary, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to Store Pico de Gallo

Pico de gallo is best if consumed right after it’s made. Any left overs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

What to eat Pico de gallo with?

This salsa can be spooned over meats, seafood, tacos, tostadas, rice bowls, and many more dishes. It gives almost any dish a nice fresh and bright flavor as well as some crunch from the raw onion and chiles.

One of my favorite ways to use pico de gallo is spooned over scrambled eggs. It really gives the eggs a nice boost of flavor and it’s even better if you taco it! It’s one of my favorite breakfast dishes because of how quick and simple it is to make, but while also being super flavorful!

I hope you enjoy this pico de gallo recipe. Please let me know in the comments below if you make it and how it went.

Gracias y provecho!

Raul

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo is a fresh, bright, and spicy salsa. It's made with tomatoes, onion, chiles, cilantro, and lime juice.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6 people

Course: Salsa

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 3 roma or plum tomatoes cored and finely chopped
• 1/2 white onion finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño or serrano chile finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and upper stems finely chopped
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 3/4 tbsp salt or to taste

Method

 

1. Finley chop jalapeño or serrano chiles, white onion, tomatoes, and cilantro.
2. Add chopped ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
3. Add salt and lime juice to the mixed ingredients and stir these in until well incorporated.
4. Taste and adjust salt and lime juice if needed.

Notes

1. 1. Make sure to core the tomatoes, this is to help the salsa not turn too watery.
   2. Add the salt and lime juice once the rest of the ingredients have been added into the bowl. You can season and adjust to your preference this way.
   3. If you prefer a spicy salsa start with one jalapeño or serrano and leave the seeds and veins in. For a more mild salsa, remove the seeds and veins.
   4. It’s best to serve pico de gallo as soon as it’s prepared to enjoy that freshness it’s known for. The texture and flavor of the salsa starts to degrade. If necessary, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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