Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo is a side dish of finely chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, chilli, cilantro and lime and is a pure mouthful of Mexico.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: pico de gallo

Servings: people

1 white or red onion medium
1/2 - 1 red chilli
25g - 35g / 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves only
1 - 2 cloves garlic
1 lime juice only
4 ripe tomatoes large (Roma/plum tomatoes or San Marzano) see recipe Tips and Notes
1/4 tsp salt

Dice the onion and de-seeded tomatoes, chop the cilantro and de-seeded red chillies. Mince the garlic or use garlic press. (Alternatively you can use a vegetable chopper for a quick and uniform pico.)
In a medium bowl combine all the prepared ingredients, squeeze the lime juice directly over the contents of the bowl and salt to taste. Allow flavours of pico to blend for 10-15 minutes before serving with tortilla chips.

The tomatoes used for pico de gallo need to be ripe. Roma or plum tomatoes are commonly used due to having a low seed, high flesh ratio. But it's more important to use ripe tomatoes than the correct variety!
Take out the soft and seedy core of the tomatoes to leave just the firmer flesh. Otherwise you will be left with a soupy consistency. Or if that is too much, serve with a slotted spoon so extra liquid can be left behind.
The recipe can be easily adapted to your preferences. The proportion of garlic, chilli, lime and cilantro is up to you!
Don't forget to taste before serving to adjust if anything seems lacking.