Update: Hey guys, I’m re-posting this Pico de Gallo recipe because I’ve added a video to the post — it’s my first recipe video!! You’ll find the video down below, right before the recipe box. Please let me know if the video is helpful and if you’d like to see more of them!
Every kitchen needs a no-thinking-involved Pico de Gallo recipe.
Because if you don’t have to think about how to make it, you can focus on the infinite number of ways you can use it.
There’s a recipe sheet at the bottom of this page that can be printed out, but if you sear the following pic in your memory you’ll always have what you need to make a delicious, versatile Pico de Gallo.
Authentic Pico de Gallo Recipe
So in the above photo we’re using:
2 tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 jalapeno
15-20 sprigs cilantro
juice of 1 lime
And of course, a bit of salt. You’ll probably need close to 1/2 teaspoon of salt for this batch, but I usually start by tossing in a heaping 1/4 teaspoon and then doing some taste testing.
Give the tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro a good rinse. I usually twist off and discard the bottom, thicker portion of the cilantro stems, but I use the upper portion of the stems that hold the leaves together. (How to chop cilantro.)
And regarding the jalapeno, I usually start by adding half of it and then adding more if I feel the Pico needs more heat. Of course, a lot of this depends on the mood of the jalapeno, so I’m in the habit of sticking the tip of my tongue on this spot:
Do this regularly and you’ll get an instant snapshot of how combative your jalapeno is feeling, especially compared to other jalapenos. I wouldn’t recommend doing this with hotter peppers like habaneros, but I like doing it with jalapenos and serranos.
This particular jalapeno was relatively mild, so I knew I would probably be adding all of it to the Pico batch.
Finely chop the tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and add them to a mixing bowl.
Add the juice of a single lime and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.
And now the most important part: taste it!
Pico de Gallo reaches its full potential when the tomatoes are kept in check by the other ingredients. So if you take a bite and get a mouthful of tomato-ey flavor you can balance it out by adding more onion, jalapeno, or lime juice.
This batch needed more jalapeno, salt, and lime juice. So that’s close to a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and all of the juice from a single lime (close to 2 tablespoons worth).
When the ingredients are in balance, Pico is the perfect example of the sum being far greater than the individual parts. It has a light, effervescent flavor that will work wonders on all sorts of dishes.
We use it on Tortas:
And on Nachos…
And on these Molletes:
And even on some Avocado Toast:
Once you’ve made it you’ll never have to dig around for another Pico de Gallo recipe. Awesome!
Okay, as promised, here’s the recipe video. It’s my first recipe vid so feel free to use the comments section below if you have feedback on it and please let me know if you’d like to see more of them!
Click Play to see how easy it is to make Pico de Gallo!!
Buen Provecho.
Authentic, Well-Balanced Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 15-20 sprigs cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
Instructions
- Give the tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro a good rinse. Peel the onion and de-stem the tomatoes and jalapeno. I usually twist off and discard the bottom, thicker portions of the cilantro stems, but keep the upper portion of the stems that hold the leaves together.
- Finely chop the 2 tomatoes, 1/2 onion, and jalapeno into 1/4" sized chunks. Finely dice the cilantro. For a milder version you can start by using only 1/2 of the jalapeno and adding more incrementally if you want more heat.
- Combine the tomato, onion, jalapeno and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the juice of a single lime. Mix together well and taste for seasoning. Add additional salt and lime if necessary (I added more salt to this batch).
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
We use this Pico for our Carne Asada Tacos. So good!
And we use a similar technique in our Cucumber Radish Salsa.
Still hungry?!
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Paul Brown
Oh Patrick, this is so incredibly good! How can such a simple recipe with so few ingredients bring such unexpected delight!
Patrick
Thanks Paul! Yeah you said it best, the perfect example of the sum being far greater than the parts 🙂
Nicolas
Hello Pat,
Very good recipe !
I am a huge fan of your site, continu !
I have a question, what is the recipe for the last picture your posted, with radishs and cucumber i guess ?
Thank you
Patrick
Thanks Nicolas! Yeah that pic is this Cucumber Radish Salsa. Cheers.
Jennifer
HUGE hit for my guests last night made a taco bar and this was the winning dish (plus the feta cheese).
I actually ended up doubling and only used half a jalapeno – which is a good thing because it was sooo hot. I think I will remove the innards next time.
Patrick
Hey thanks much for your feedback Jennifer! Cheers.
Christi
Delish!
Doris
Excellent recipe my friend! I think it would be beneficial if you mentioned the kind of tomatoes you use. I did see in the photo that were Roma tomatoes ( which I use myself as they are firmer than regular ones). I do prefer red onion as opposed to white or yellow. I will make tomorrow . Now , on to your other recipes!
Patrick
Okay thanks for mentioning this Doris. Cheers.
Linda Grindstaff
Just found your site. Love it! I grew up in Arizona, so I’m more used to Arizona/Sonoran Mexican food. Things like fried shredded beef tacos, cheese crisp, etc.
But my question really is about tomatoes. Are plum tomatoes authentic to Mexican cuisine?
Thanks,
Linda
Patrick
Hi Linda, yes they are quite common in Mexico. You can certainly use regular tomatoes in any of these recipes and still get a good result, but plum tomatoes have less seeds and less water and I think this makes them a better candidate for salsas and sauces. Cheers.
ryely
Hi there,
I almost never use recipes off blogs because I always want reviews of people that actually made the recipe.
For New Year’s Eve, I made this recipe, “Pico de Gallo” and “The Spicy Ground Beef Nachos” – the spicy ground beef portion – and they were DELICIOUS!! Wow! I will never again buy that pre-made taco seasoning for beef in a pouch. My guests loved it! I am so glad I took a chance! I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes. I love Mexican food but I never had the chance to eat it very often. Even when I lived in Texas when I was young. (I am in Canada now). Thank you!!!
Patrick
Thanks Ryely, so glad you found some keeper recipes! I love that ground beef flavor and use it in Beef Tacos all the time — something about chipotles seems to work so well with ground beef. Cheers.
Skyye
Patrick — your Pico de Gallo recipe inspired me to use up the rest of my jalapeno harvest along with Romas and a couple of big heirloom tomatoes I got from the local produce stand. The yellow and green of the heirlooms made a pico that was not only delish to eat, but beautiful to look at! Thanks!
Patrick
Ahh that sounds great Skyye! Somehow I need to get my site to allow people to upload pics of everything they’re making!
Jeff the Chef
Hey, nice video. What are you chopping on? A countertop? Very nice, very fresh recipe.
Patrick
Thanks Jeff! I’m using one of those Epicurean cutting boards in this vid. Cheers.
JP
Good stuff Pat! I have an ad blocker on my browser which “hides” your video. When I paused the ad blocker, the video appears. Figured I would let you know.
Patrick
Hey thanks for mentioning that JP I didn’t know that would happen — I guess it’s that initial ad in front of the video hmmmm….