Pico de Gallo
The freshest salsa, precisely executed
There is salsa from a jar, which serves its purpose, and then there is pico de gallo, which is something else entirely. The name translates literally as "rooster's beak," a phrase whose etymological origins remain murky but whose implications are clear enough: this is a salsa with bite. Unlike its cooked cousins, pico de gallo is aggressively fresh, made only minutes before eating, with ingredients so recently chopped that the tomatoes are still releasing their juices.
The technique hinges on a small but crucial step that most recipes omit: salting and draining the tomatoes before assembly. A good ripe tomato is about 95% water, and if you skip the draining, that water will dilute your salsa into a thin, watery disappointment. Twenty minutes in a colander changes everything. The remaining tomato flesh concentrates in flavor and holds its shape, mixing with the onion and chile and cilantro without dissolving into soup.
Everything else is simply a matter of knife work. The vegetables should be diced small enough to sit on a chip but large enough to maintain their individual textures. The lime juice goes in at the end, brightening everything without cooking the tomatoes. What you get is less a sauce and more a very finely chopped salad—and it's the best thing you'll ever put on tacos.
Method
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1
Salt and drain the tomatoes
Cut tomatoes into ¼ to ½ inch dice. Toss with 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Let drain for 20-30 minutes. Discard the liquid.
💡 This step is not optional—undrained tomatoes make watery salsa.
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2
Prepare the chile
Cut chiles in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and white membranes for milder heat, leave some for more fire. Dice finely.
💡 The heat is in the membranes more than the seeds.
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3
Combine all ingredients
In a serving bowl, combine drained tomatoes, onion, chile, cilantro, and lime juice. Toss gently to combine.
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4
Season and rest
Taste and adjust salt. Let sit for 10 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Taste again—the lime may have shifted the balance.
💡 Pico de gallo improves slightly as it sits, up to about 2 hours.
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5
Serve
Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips, or as a topping for tacos, grilled fish, or anything that needs brightness.
Notes & Tips
Tomato selection
- • Use the ripest, most flavorful tomatoes you can find. Roma (plum) tomatoes have less water and work well. In winter, cherry tomatoes often have better flavor than beefsteaks.
Heat levels
- • Mild: 1 jalapeño, fully seeded
- • Medium: 2 jalapeños, partially seeded
- • Hot: 2 serranos, seeds included
- • Volcanic: add a habanero
Cilantro note
- • If you're among those for whom cilantro tastes like soap (a genetic quirk affecting about 10% of people), substitute flat-leaf parsley or simply omit.
Storage
- • Pico de gallo keeps for up to 3 days refrigerated in a sealed container, though it's best within a few hours of making. The texture softens and the onion mellows as it sits.
Variations
- • Add diced mango or pineapple for fruit salsa
- • Add minced garlic for more depth
- • Include diced avocado just before serving