Homemade Pico de Gallo Recipe (Fresh Tomato Salsa)

Homemade Pico de Gallo (Fresh Tomato Salsa)

Name: Homemade Pico de Gallo (Fresh Tomato Salsa)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Americas
Ingredients: 2-3 ripe tomatoes; ½ finely chopped red onion; 1-2 finely chopped jalapeno peppers; 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped coriander; 1 teaspoon olive oil; Salt to taste; ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder; 1-2 teaspoons lime juice

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Homemade Pico de Gallo (Fresh Tomato Salsa)

This authentic Homemade Pico de Gallo is prepared with fresh tomatoes, onions, chillies, salt, coriander, lime and herbs is unbelievably delicious, easy to make and seriously the best homemade salsa recipe.

I made this recipe for a friend recently and she asked me the difference between pico de gallo and salsa? Well, I wasn’t quite sure so did read up a bit to research myself. What I learnt is that Pico de gallo is a type of salsa, but what sets it apart from other salsas is two things. Salsa usually has a much more liquid consistency whereas Pico de gallo is chunky with far less liquid. Secondly, when we refer to salsas broadly, they can consist of cooked ingredients (or flame broiled) whereas Pico de gallo is always made with raw ingredients and never cooked. So, for me Pico de Gallo is a variety of salsa.

This authentic Homemade Pico de Gallo recipe is ready in just minutes. This easy recipe is restaurant-style, full of fresh flavour and so easy to make. I never buy pre-packaged pico de gallo pots from supermarkets. Somehow, they are loaded with sugar and do not taste fresh or vibrant as it should! My pico de gallo recipe is fool proof and soo good that once you try it, you will never have pico de gallo in your grocery list- just it’s ingredients to make it at home.

It is almost impossible to eat Mexican food without a side of salsa or some guacamole. They are the most delicious nibbles/condiments without which Mexican meal cannot be complete. When I prepare Mexican food at home, a variety of salsa is an essential. Just like my classic Guacamole recipe, this pico de gallo is made with simple ingredients. It’s easy to adjust the flavours to your tastes, and you can make it more or less spicy.

Other recipes you might like are Vegetable Quesadilla, Mexican Bhel, 6 Layered Fusion Mexican Rice Dish, Paneer Fajita, Chipotle Roasted Tomato Salsa and Chicken Fajita.

Ingredients

2-3 ripe tomatoes
½ finely chopped red onion
1-2 finely chopped jalapeno peppers
1-2 teaspoons finely chopped coriander
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
1-2 teaspoons lime juice

Directions

Step-1

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and scoop out the seeds and finely chop the tomatoes. I prefer taking the seeds out as it can make the salsa very watery.

Step-2

Mix together tomatoes, onions, peppers, coriander, olive oil, salt, pepper and lime juice. Mix and taste to adjust the seasoning. Leave the salsa aside for 15- 20 minutes for the flavours to mingle and enhance.

Serve with tacos, nachos or enchiladas.

Tips & Variations

This salsa recipe makes medium-spicy salsa. For mild salsa, use 1 pepper and for spicy version use 2 jalapenos.
I always recommend using red onion for salsa as it has more vibrant and sharp flavour.
Do not add too much lime juice at first. You can always add more, and too much lime can overpower the other flavours.
I have used plum tomatoes. To make the best and tastiest salsa, choose a ‘meaty’ tomato variety like plum tomatoes, roma tomatoes, vine-ripe tomatoes and beefsteak. I wouldn’t recommend using cherry or heirloom tomatoes for salsa.
I would highly recommend using the best quality firm, ripe, red tomato. It should be aromatic and smell like a tomato.
Use fresh lime juice. This is a 5-6 ingredient recipe hence calls for fresh ingredients to liven it up. There is no room for the bottled stuff here.
Let the salsa sit a few minutes before serving. Salt draws out flavour from the tomatoes and tones down raw onion. By letting the salsa sit for 10 to 20 minutes before serving, it will taste better. On the same note, since this is a fresh salsa, don’t let it sit too long. pico de gallo is at its best for an hour or two, after which it looses a bit of crunch and the flavour of the onion can start to take over the salsa.
Although I prefer making this recipe with fresh tomatoes, if you need to use canned tomatoes, I suggest canned fire-roasted tomatoes.
To don’t like the strong flavour of onions then to remove any strong bitter taste from raw onions, chop them, and soak them in cold water for 3-4 minutes. Drain all the water before using.