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Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe

a wood bowl of pico de gallo and some limes on a table

This easy pico de gallo recipe is a huge hit around my house. To be honest, I’ve never actually finished making a batch before someone is sampling it.

It’s great with the usuals of course—chips, grilled pork carnitas, smoked queso dip, and of course these next level San Diego style street tacos.

But don’t be afraid to try this with grilled chicken or fish. What’s best: It’s so dang simple to make!

The down side is this stuff doesn’t keep more than a day or so before it gets really watery. The up side is, you won’t have to worry about it lasting more than a day…it goes quick!

Jump to Recipe

What Tomatoes Are Best For Pico?

I like to use Roma tomatoes for pico. They don’t have near as many seeds as some other varieties to is makes it easy to seed and clean them up.

The lack of seeds also means less juice and for pico, you want to keep the liquid to a minimum. The flesh from the tomato is really what you need, and I find Roma tomatoes work best here.

Can You Store Pico de Gallo?

The short answer is yes, and it will keep for a day or so. I don’t recommend it though, and here’s why.

After a few short hours the salt will start to pull the moisture out of the tomatoes and onions. What you’re left with is sort of a watery mess. So, make enough for your meal, and try not to “make it last” an extra day.

How To Make Easy Pico de Gallo

Serves: 8 | Prep time: 20 mins

Ingredients

4 medium Roma tomatoes seeded
1 jalapeño, seeded
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 medium Vidalia onion
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Salt to taste

Step-by-Step

Step 1: Remove seeds and dice tomatoes into 1/4 inch chunks. It is important to get rid of the seeds from the tomatoes and only use the flesh; otherwise the pico will be watery.

Step 2: Remove seeds from jalapeño and finely dice. I use this seeding tool just because it’s so convenient and inexpensive but if you don’t have one you can use a knife or small spoon. If you want to turn it up a notch on the Scoville scale, leave half or all of the seeds in as that’s where the heat comes from.

tomatoes-for-pico-de-gallo-recipe

Step 3: Dice onion.

Step 4: Finely chop cilantro. I love the freshness that cilantro provides but it needs to be chopped finely. You can get a gadget to help you do this, like these scissors, or you can do it the old fashioned way, like this:

sliced-cilantro-pico-de-gallo-recipe

Step 5: Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Step 6: Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into the bowl—you can do this with your bare hands, or using a juicer. Add a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly. I tend to like my pico a bit salter, but add to your preference.

Step 7: Add salt to taste. Serve immediately in your favorite festive bowl.

pico-de-gallo-recipe-complete

Make This Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe:

Completed pico de gallo recipe

Pico de Gallo

5 from 3 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 4 medium Roma tomatoes seeded
  • 1 jalapeño seeded
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1/2 medium vidalia onion
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • salt

Instructions

  • Remove seeds and dice tomatoes into 1/4 inch chunks. 
  • Remove seeds from jalapeño and finely dice. 
  • Dice onion. 
  • Finely chop cilantro.   
  • Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl. 
  • Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into the bowl. Mix thoroughly.
  • Add salt to taste. Serve immediately. 

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