Pico de gallo is a Mexican raw salsa made with tomatoes, onion, serrano or jalapeño peppers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and black pepper.
This fresh salsa – salsa fresca in Spanish – is easy to make and versatile.
You’ll love it as a topping on warm, hearty soups and stews. And, of course, it goes well with anything Mexican.
Ingredients for pico de Gallo
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Tomatoes
You can make pico de gallo with most ripe tomatoes. We recommend Roma tomatoes or vine-ripen tomatoes.
Onion
We use white onion. Substitute red onion.
Jalapeños
Pico de gallo can be spicy, but it doesn’t have to be. We use fresh Jalapeño peppers because they are moderately spicy.
For heat lovers, substitute Serrano peppers for Jalapeños.
They are a step higher on the Scoville scale and slightly spicier than friendlier jalapeños.
Lime
Fresh lime juice is a must in salsa fresca.
If you don’t have lime, you can use fresh lemon juice.
Cilantro
Cilantro or fresh coriander adds fresh and herby notes to this salsa cruda (yep, that’s another name for pico de gallo, which means raw sauce in Spanish).
Salt and Black pepper
We recommend sea salt; it’s much more flavorful and natural than table salt. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste.
How to make pico de gallo?
Chop the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños into small dice and add them to a mixing bowl.
If the tomatoes are watery, discard some juice and seeds.
Add chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, salt, and black pepper, and toss until combined.
Taste and adjust for salt. Let marinate for 15 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
Serving suggestions
Pico de gallo is not only a delicious appetizer served as a dip with tortilla chips and sour cream or on top of guacamole.
It’s also an excellent topping for hearty soups, stews, and bowls.
We love it as a topping on our black bean soup, lentil chili, and sweet potato chili.
It’s delicious on tender microwaved sweet potatoes, with black bean salad and quinoa lentil salad, and on roasted veggies like smashed potatoes with chimichurri.
You can even have it to spice up your breakfast with a delicious vegan breakfast burrito or sweet potato hash.
It goes without saying that it is delicious with nachos, quesadillas, fajitas, or as a complementary dip with anything Mexican.
Tips for best pico de gallo? Tomatoes!
1.Seasonality
Make pico de gallo when tomatoes are in season.
That’s from May to October in the northern hemisphere, but really, the tastiest, meatiest, most flavorful tomatoes are those from mid-July to late September.
2. Farmer’s market
Most supermarket tomatoes contain a lot of water, which isn’t ideal when making salsa fresca.
To make the best pico de gallo, we recommend getting tomatoes from a trusted farmer’s market. Any variety works as long as it is red and vine-ripen.
Also, farmer’s market tomatoes are (hopefully) grown organically, in season, and at a slower pace, meaning less water and more flavor.
3. Excess liquid
Not everyone has access to farmer markets.
If you are using supermarket tomatoes, we recommend discarding some of the water and seeds. This excess water is mostly flavorless and will make your pico de gallo too watery.
4. Room temperature
Serve pico de gallo at room temperature. If you keep your tomatoes in the fridge (you shouldn’t), take them out at least 30 minutes before making your salsa fresca.
Storage
Make ahead: You can make pico de gallo up to 24 hours ahead, and we recommend making it at least 15 to 30 minutes before serving it to allow the flavors to meld. However, I wouldn’t go beyond the 24-hour mark, as the tomatoes will get mushy.
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 1 – 2 days. Not suitable for freezing.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatoes ripe, about 4 to 5, cut into small dice
- 1 small white onion chopped
- 2 fresh jalapeños more or less to taste
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 large lime the juice
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt more or less to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Chop 1 pound tomatoes, 1 small white onion, and 2 fresh jalapeños into small dice and add them to a mixing bowl.If the tomatoes are watery, discard some juice and seeds.Add ½ cup cilantro (chopped), the juice from 1 large lime, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
- Toss until combined, taste and adjust, and let marinate for 15 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
Fantastic