Homemade Pico de Gallo with fresh flavors from tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and lime juice. This salsa fresca is amazing as a dip as well as a condiment for your favorite food. Easily turn it into guacamole with a few avocados!
We love all sorts of salsa here at home, so I like to make a big batch at least once a week to have handy in the fridge. But although salsa verde and salsa roja are our favorite ways to spice things up, I have to say; nothing comes close to the marriage of crisp chips and chunky homemade pico de gallo in my book.
Ingredient notes
- Use ripe but firm tomatoes for the best results. I like to use Roma or plum tomatoes, which are juicier and sweeter.
- The recipe calls for jalapenos, but you can also use serrano peppers. Just adjust amounts as they’re spicier.
- Use freshly-squeezed lime juice and NEVER the bottled stuff. This citrus adds a burst of tangy flavor. You can substitute lemons.
- Cilantro brings a mixture of lemony and peppery taste. If you find the taste of this herb “soapy,” you can swap it with chopped green onions.
- I like regular yellow onions for this fresh salsa. You can use red onions if you want a touch of color.
Quick tips
- To keep excess juices from watering down the salsa, seed the tomatoes before dicing.
- If you want to tone down the heat, remove the seeds and veins of the chili peppers before mincing.
Serving suggestions
This salsa fresca or fresh salsa is not only the perfect dip for your favorite chips but also a great condiment for breakfast eggs, grilled meat, and seafood. Here are a few ways we love to enjoy it.
- Serve with tacos, burritos, carne asadas, and all your favorite Mexican food.
- Pile on baked, roasted, or scalloped potatoes for a quick boost of flavor.
- Toss with greens along with your choice of protein or with cooled pasta plus olive oil, black beans, corn, and feta cheese for a delicious cold salad.
- Spoon over scrambled eggs or mix in frittatas/omelettes for a hearty breakfast.
- Stir with sour cream, Greek yogurt, or cream cheese for a creamy dip or with Ranch dressing for a delicious dressing.
- Top on burgers or use on bruschetta for a Southwest twist.
- Turn it into a quick guacamole with a few mashed (or coarsely chopped if you like chunky) avocados!
Storage instructions
- For optimum quality, this Mexican salsa is best enjoyed freshly made. With a quick prep and a simple ingredient list of tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime juice, it takes but a few minutes to pull together.
- If you want to store pico de gallo for future use, place it in an airtight container, and it will keep up to 3 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing as the salsa loses its crispness and becomes too watery from being frozen and rethawed.
Ingredients
For the Pico de Gallo
- 6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed and minced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed and coarsely chopped
- juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine tomato, onions, jalapeno, and cilantro. Add lime juice. Season with salt and gently stir to combine.
Notes
- To keep excess juices from watering down the salsa, seed the tomatoes before dicing.
- If you want to tone down the heat, remove the seeds and veins of the chili peppers before mincing.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Leave a Comment