Pico de gallo is a regular in our house, as a salad, a side or a snack. It's a fresh, raw salsa, so it's only as good as your tomatoes: use ripe, in-season ones, and a mix of colors if you can find them.
We use a medium-heat chili to suit Irish tastes, but you can go milder with a sweet pepper or hotter with a scotch bonnet. It's also a good way to use up salad vegetables before they wilt.
Pico de gallo is naturally vegan, and it's a quick way to add fresh flavor and color to a meal.
What to serve it with
Tortillas, tacos, quesadillas and nachos are the obvious choices, especially our smoky lentil tacos in cornmeal tortillas. It's also good on toasted sandwiches, with crackers, or spooned over a bowl of rice and beans.
Ingredient notes and swaps
- Tomatoes: ripe, in-season tomatoes make the biggest difference. Out of season, use cherry tomatoes, which are sweeter.
- Onion: white onion is traditional. Red onion is milder and adds color; shallots are milder still.
- Chili: jalapeño for medium heat, serrano for hotter, sweet pepper for none.
Tips for success
- Dice everything to a similar size, about 5 mm, so you get a bit of each ingredient in every spoonful.
- Salt the tomatoes and drain them for 10 minutes if they're very juicy.
- Add the lime and salt just before serving so it stays fresh.
Variations
- Fruit pico: add diced mango, pineapple or peach.
- Corn and black bean: stir in sweetcorn and black beans for a heartier salsa.
- Green: use green tomatoes or tomatillos, as in the kabocha taco variation.
Pico De Gallo Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe tomatoes
- 8–10 cherry tomatoes
- 2 shallots
- 1 chili pepper (medium heat)
- 1 lime
- 1 large bunch fresh coriander (cilantro)
- ¼ tsp salt
Method
- Scoop the seeds out of the large tomatoes, then finely chop all the tomatoes and put them in a mixing bowl.
- Deseed the chili and finely chop it with the shallots. Add them to the bowl.
- Add the salt and squeeze in the lime juice, then mix.
- Tear in a large handful of coriander and mix roughly.
- Finely grate a little lime zest over the top and serve in a sharing bowl.
Swaps: red onion for shallots; sweet pepper for a mild version; jalapeño, poblano or scotch bonnet for more heat.
Add-ins: diced avocado, a tin of sweetcorn or chopped green olives.
Storage: up to 3 days in the fridge.