Classic Pico de Gallo
Total Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
15 mins
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(217)
Ingredients
4 cups (about 8 servings)
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 medium jalapeño or serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice, or add another if you love heat)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
- 1 ½ pounds ripe red tomatoes (about 8 small or 4 large), chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch)
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Preparation
Step 1
In a medium serving bowl, combine the chopped onion, jalapeño, lime juice and salt. Let it marinate for about 5 minutes while you chop the tomatoes and cilantro.
Step 2
Add the chopped tomatoes and cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste, and add more salt if the flavors don’t quite sing.
Step 3
For the best flavor, let the mixture marinate for 15 minutes or several hours in the refrigerator. Serve as a dip, or with a slotted spoon or large serving fork to avoid transferring too much watery tomato juice with your pico. Pico de gallo keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Step 4
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Chef's notes
Change it up:
Add a diced avocado to the mixture, or see my list provided above the recipe for alternatives to tomatoes.
Cilantro haters:
You can significantly decrease the amount of cilantro used, or omit it completely if you insist! I don’t recommend substituting parsley here.