Pico de Gallo (Chunky Mexican Salsa)

This homemade pico de gallo recipe brings the vibrant and zesty flavors of Mexico straight to your table. Made with just a handful of fresh ingredients, this authentic Mexican salsa fresca is so quick and easy to prepare making it perfect to serve with tortilla chips or any other Mexican inspired dish.

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What is pico de gallo?

Pico de gallo is a salsa originating from Mexico known for its fresh, bold flavors. It’s a chunky salsa made with raw ingredients like tomatoes, onions, cilantro, peppers and fresh lime juice, for which it’s also called salsa fresca or salsa cruda. Due to the colors used, red, white and green, which are the colors of the Mexican flag, it’s also often referred to as salsa bandera (flag sauce).

This salsa is so versatile, making it a staple dish in Mexican cuisine. It’s usually served as a topping for tacos, burritos, grilled meats or as a delicious dip for nacho chips.

It is also easily adjustable by adding or substituting a variety of ingredients. Fruits like pineapple and mango work surprisingly well, like this homemade mango salsa or add avocados to make a loaded guacamole.

Which ingredients to use

You’ll make this recipe with minimal ingredients, however, each ingredient for pico de gallo is as important as the other. Only use the freshest vegetables for the best results.

• Fresh tomatoes: Choose firm, ripe and meaty tomatoes with minimal juice. Roma, plum or vine tomatoes are great options. Avoid watery or unripe tomatoes as they can result in a bland and soggy salsa.
• Onion: Traditionally, white onion is used, but you can substitute with yellow or red onion depending on your taste or what you have available.
• Serrano or Jalapeño pepper: Either works well in a pico de gallo recipe. For less heat, remove the seeds and white membranes before finely chopping. Even with the heat reduced, they’ll still add a delicious kick.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds freshness and brightness. Only use fresh cilantro as cilantro or coriander seeds have a completely different flavor profile.
• Lime: Freshly squeezed lime juice is essential to bring all the ingredients and flavors together. It also adds acidity and freshness.
• Salt: Just a pinch is enough to enhance the flavors. Fine sea salt or kosher salt both work well.

How to make Pico de Gallo

Pico de gallo salsa is so easy to make. You’ll only need to finely chop all the ingredients and mix them together with the lime juice and a pinch of salt to taste. Chill and serve.

Here are some essential tips for making the best pico de gallo:

• Adjustable: The quantities per ingredient as described in the recipe card below are how I love to eat pico de gallo and they work very well for me. There is no right or wrong when it comes to being creative with the quantities. Some prefer less onion, more acidity from lime juice, more or less cilantro or more or fewer chilies. Feel free to adjust to your personal preference.
• Seed the tomatoes: You’ll only use the flesh of the tomatoes, removing the seeds and excess water. Cut the tomatoes in half or in quarters and use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds and water.
• Chopping counts: Finely chop the tomatoes, onions, chili peppers and cilantro. This Mexican salsa recipe works best when each ingredient is chopped to a similar size.

• Let it rest: While you can serve this salsa immediately, the flavors will develop much better if you let it rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld and further develop.
• Peppers: Serrano peppers are traditionally used in authentic pico de gallo, though many people substitute them with Jalapeño peppers. However, it’s fine to swap in other types of peppers, like Habanero or Poblano peppers. Each has its own heat level and flavor profile, so choose the one you prefer most.
• Hand chop the ingredients: Unlike other Mexican salsa’s which are often blended, the key for a pico de gallo is to have fresh and chopped ingredients. In order to preserve the texture and taste of each ingredient, it’s best to hand chop the vegetable instead of using a blender or electrical chopper. This will certainly help to maintain the freshness and to control the size and uniformity of each ingredient.

How to store

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. Pico de gallo is best eaten after refrigerating a few hours as the longer you store it, the more water will get released from the tomatoes, even if they were seeded and the soggier the salsa will get. Also the flavors will become more bland after about 1 day.

So best is to eat it the same day it’s made.

This recipe does not freeze well as it will become very soft and soggy when thawed and will have lost its freshness. But as this recipe comes together so quick and easy, just make it a few hours before you intend serving it.