Pico de Gallo
I made some pico de gallo for my huevos rancheros the other day and it was so delicious that I decided that it deserved its own post. Besides, it’s so versatile that I know I’ll be referencing it a lot so it needed a unique link.
I’ve never been overly impressed with pico de gallo in restaurants but when I tasted this I was literally blown away. Okay, not literally, figuratively blown away. But, still, it was amazing. I’m not sure where the magic is lost when it’s prepared in a commercial kitchen, but it is always lacking. Whatever the reason, it was so good that I gobbled it up with a fork by itself. Pico de gallo no longer seemed like a condiment, but a yummy yummy salad.
Pico de Gallo
- 1 large ripe tomato $1.15
- ½ medium vidalia onion $0.25
- 1 medium lime $0.32
- ¼ bunch cilantro $0.17
- to taste salt $0.02
- STEP 1: Cut the tomato and onion into a very small dice. Wash the cilantro and shake dry. Roughly chop the cilantro. Combine the tomato, onion, and cilantro in a bowl.
- STEP 2: Squeeze the juice from half of the lime over the mixture and sprinkle with ¼ tsp of salt. Give everything a good stir and then adjust the lime and salt to your liking.
Step By Step Photos
Wash the tomato and cilantro well before beginning. I actually used about twice the cilantro that is pictured here, about 1/4 bunch.
Roughly chop the cilantro and cut the tomato and onion into a very small dice. Combine all three in a bowl and squeeze the juice from half of the lime over top. Sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp of salt, stir everything together and then adjust the lime and salt to your liking.
This was so good that I pretty much put it on everything I ate all week… and then just at it by its self sometimes too. My new favorite!
Here’s a tip to this outstanding recipe.
As I live alone and therefore make this salad to last for some days, but it really loses the “it factor” after more than
one day.
The fix is if you want to make Pico De Gallo for a week, make the recipe but do not add the lime juice until just prior to serving. I make serving bowls that I put into the fridge (with half an unsqueezed lime) and then squeeze and add the lime prior to serving. YUM!!
Great tip, thanks!!
We LOVE pico but it is labor intensive with all that cutting of tomatos (though totally worth it if you have the time, and maybe a glass of sangria and a few friends as you work.) THIS is exactly what I always think I wish I had a food processor for…but I notice you don’t use on for this and I wondered, why?
I was only making a small amount, so it really only took 2-3 minutes to chop everything up. For me it wasn’t worth the cumbersome cleaning of my food processor. :) Plus, I feel like the processor would have chopped it smaller than I wanted.
I am in lust with this website. Thank you for all these awesome recipes. Everything is organized and explained really well. Cheers!
I agree with the jalapeno comment. You can also try adding minced chiles or cactus (comes in a jar). Adding lemon also helps with the flavor. (Jalepeno juice too) :) I love all of your recipes!!!
I think it taste better with sweet onions, but you can use a regular white onion if that’s all you can find. I’m not sure what kind of sweet onions might be available in your area. I would try asking someone who works in the produce department of your local grocery store.
Does the onion need to be a vidalia onion? I live in Australia, and you can’t buy that type of onion here. Do you know of a good substitute?
I’ve made pico de gallo with red onion too. The trick is to soak the chopped onion in water for a few minutes (generally as long as it takes me to chop up everything else). Then discard the water and keep the onion. Soaking removes a lot of the caustic intensity that I find becomes overpowering with onion but keeps a nice flavor and crunch.
Great tip, thank you! I love red onions, but a lot of times they don’t love me back. So I’ll definitely be trying the soaking trick!
Rox – Just a few days. This is one of those mixes that tastes best right when you make it :)
Hi Beth! How long does this keep in the fridge?