Pico de Gallo is the perfect addition to your Cinco de Mayo festivities. This super simple condiment uses only a few fresh ingredients, but is huge on flavor. Use it to dress up tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, taco salad, and more, for out of this world flavor.
Ingredients for Pico de Gallo:
I used the following ingredients for this amazing condiment: Fresh tomatoes, Kosher salt, onions, fresh jalapeño pepper, Italian parsley, garlic, and fresh lime juice. If you like cilantro, you should use it in place of the Italian parsley. Personally, I can’t stand the taste of cilantro!
Preparing the Tomatoes for Pico de Gallo:
The first thing that I did was to remove the seeds and pulp from the tomatoes. Then, I cut the tomatoes into 1/4 to 1/2-inch pieces.
One potential problem with Pico de Gallo is its tendency to be watery. To mitigate this, I combined the cut tomatoes with a teaspoon of Kosher salt, and let them drain for about 30 minutes. The salt not only drew out the excess juices, but also resulted in tomatoes with a more concentrated flavor.
Putting the Pico de Gallo Together:
While the tomatoes were draining, I finely chopped the onion. Then, I removed the seeds and membrane from the jalapeño pepper, and finely chopped it. Finely, I minced the parsley.
After the tomatoes had drained, I placed them in a bowl, and added the onion, jalapeños, parsley, minced garlic, lime juice, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt.
Then, I mixed all of the ingredients together with a wooden spoon. That’s it!
I ended up with about 3 1/2 cups of amazing Pico de Gallo. By letting the flavors meld over night, I had an even better mixture next day. I used it as an awesome topping for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, taco salad and lots more. It’s equally delicious as a dip with tortilla chips. Yum!
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds) (See Note 1)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
- 3/4 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)
- 3 Tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper, seeds and membrane removed
- 2 Tablespoons finely minced Italian parsley or cilantro (See Note 2)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Transfer to a wire mesh strainer or colander set in a bowl. Allow to drain for 25 to 30 minutes. Discard liquid.
- Combine drained tomatoes with onion, jalapeños, parsley, lime juice, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Toss to combine.
- Refrigerate in a sealed container (See Note 3).
- Yield 3 1/2 cups Pico de Gallo.
Chula's Expert Tips
- Use the tastiest tomatoes possible. I used Campari tomatoes.
- Can use cilantro in place of Italian parsley. You can add more cilantro to taste. I don't use cilantro because I can't stand the taste of it!
- Pico de Gallo can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Even though excess liquid is removed from the tomatoes, the Pico de Gallo might still be a bit watery after sitting in the refrigerator. Simply pour off additional liquid.
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