It takes only a few minutes to make Pico de Gallo, one of my favorite summer seasonings because it is so fresh and full of life and only takes a few minutes to prepare.

A perfect example of this is pico de gallo, which has a taste that screams “summer!”

Appronese has always admired recipes that use only a few ingredients yet taste amazing, which is why I’m writing this.

There is something magical about the combination of fresh lemon and salt that transforms this bowl of tomatoes, onions, and coriander. Simple, magical, and delicious.

Pico De Gallo: What Is It?

As the name implies, pico de gallo is a fresh salsa made with tomatoes, onions, jalapeos, salt, lime, and cilantro.

However, unlike most jarred salsas bought at the supermarket, this will retain the fresh, vibrant flavor of the ingredients, and will have a more chunky texture and a less saucy flavor, so it is more suited to cooking.

Pico de Gallo: How to Use It

As far as pico de gallo is concerned, the answer is “on everything.” It is a condiment that can be spooned over just about any savory food for an added splash of freshness, including salads, tacos, sandwiches, and even taco trays.

Some of the things I like to spoon it over include:

  • guacamole
  • chicken or fish
  • burgers
  • scrambled eggs
  • burritos and burrito bowls
  • enchiladas
  • tacos
  • nachos
  • quesadillas

Where’s the Jalapeño?

This is where I begin to diverge from traditional pico de gallo recipes, because, despite how much I like spicy food, I have always preferred mine without jalapeo, so the recipe below is written without the jalapeo.

The traditional way to prepare it is to seed and mince one jalapeno and then mix it into the mixture in the manner described above.

Can I Add Anything Else?

Using pico de gallo as a starting point can be a great way to create a variety of fresh salsas. Here are a few other ingredients you can use to enhance it and make it into a more complex sauce.

  • pineapple
  • avocado
  • corn
  • mango
  • peaches
  • chipotle peppers

Pico de gallo being spooned over green chile enchiladas

Pico de Gallo

The simplest and most fresh pico de gallo you’ve ever made only takes a few minutes to make, adding vibrant flavor and color to tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and much more.

Author: Beth

Prep Time: 10 mins/ Total Time: 10 mins

Servings: 12 ¼ cup each

Ingredients

  • 2 tomatoes (2 cups diced) ($1.50)
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion (1 cup diced) ($0.37)
  • 1 lime ($0.50)
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro ($0.20)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)

Instructions

  • A bowl should be filled with a mixture of tomato, onion, and cilantro. Finely chop the cilantro and then add the chopped tomato, onion, and cilantro together.
  • After the vegetables in the bowl have been mixed with the lime juice, squeeze the juice of one lime over the vegetables in the bowl (about 1 Tbsp). Add a pinch of salt and stir everything together. Taste the mixture to see if there is any more salt or lime juice you wish to add. Let the salsa sit for five minutes before serving.

Nutritional

Calories: 13.8 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 3.45 g ・ Protein: 0.5 g ・ Fat: 0.12 g ・ Sodium: 102.42 mg ・ Fiber: 0.97 g

The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.

Equipment

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Close up of a chip topped with pico de gallo, the bowl in the background

Pico de Gallo: How to Make It – Step By Step Photos

Fresh tomato, onion, lime, cilantro and salt on a cutting board

The pico de gallo salsa is made from the freshest ingredients: tomatoes, onion, lime, cilantro, and salt. Since it is a fresh tomato salsa, it starts with the freshest ingredients.

The ratio I like to use for pico de gallo is a 2:1 ratio, so I used two small tomatoes and half an onion. The Vidalia onion was used as well, since it is a sweeter onion that doesn’t overwhelm the salsa and doesn’t overwhelm it.

Chopped tomato onion and cilantro in a bowl

You will need to dice the tomatoes and onion finely, and you will need to chop the cilantro finely (about 1/4 cups).

lime being squeezed over the bowl of vegetables

The diced vegetables should now be topped with fresh lime juice. I used about 1 tablespoon of lime juice for the amount I am making here, or about half a lime’s juice for pico de gallo.

It is great to make pico de gallo as you like it, without having to measure anything because it can simply be made to your own tastes.

stirred pico de gallo in the bowl, salt and limes on the side

After adding salt to the ingredients, stir everything together until it is smooth and creamy. Taste, and adjust the salt to your liking. I used about 14% of the salt and let it sit for about five minutes before serving so the juices can begin to extract and the flavors to blend.

Do not forget to stir the mixture thoroughly before serving in order to redistribute the flavor.

Overhead view of a bowl of pico de gallo surrounded by tortilla chips, salt, tomatoes, cilantro, and limes

A healthy delicacy, and one that Apronese finds easy to pair with a variety of dishes. The way to do it is really simple and fast, you have to share it with many people.