Well. For a girl who mostly cooks traditional southern farmhouse recipes, this is something of a change, huh? Plus, it’s a recipe you usually think about in the warm weather not when it’s drizzling rain and about 50 degrees out, right? Oh, what the heck. It’s something BeeBop and I just love and I don’t care if there was snow on the ground, I’d still have made it last night.
Pico de Gallo. Just sounds pretty, doesn’t it? In Spanish it actually translates to “beak of the rooster.” Not so attractive after all maybe. I have absolutely no explanation for why it is called “beak of the rooster” except that maybe (and I’m just guessing) it could be kind of “sharp” if you added enough jalapenos to it.
I always make pico de gallo when we have tacos or enchiladas and we use it in place of salsa or taco sauce. Makes for a much fresher tasting taco. Plus it has absolutely no fat in it whatsoever! I can’t make any promises about the tacos or the tortilla chips or the enchiladas, though.
Nothing quite like homemade Pico de Gallo! So fresh!Click To Tweet
You can alter this recipe for any amount you like and change the proportions as well. Like yours really hot? Just add more jalapenos. Don’t like cilantro? Okay, leave it out and use parsley instead. Although I think you’re really missing out if you don’t use the cilantro! (I’m looking at you, Kay :-) )
This recipe makes what I think is enough for two people. YMMV.
3 ripe Roma tomatoes
½ medium (or 1 small) onion
1 jalapeno pepper
¼ cup cilantro
1 lime
½ tsp salt
Wash the tomatoes well, but do not peel them. Remove most of the seeds. Chop into approximately ¼-inch dice.
Chop the onion finely and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. See that little onion? That’s just the right amount for three good sized plum tomatoes. I knew I’d have a use for that little bity onion that was in the bag with all those others!
Cut the jalapeno in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and veins, then cut into fine dice. Add into the bowl with the tomatoes and onions. You probably noticed that I’ve put on some disposable latex gloves for handling the jalapeno. Well, you see, I wear contact lenses and I found out the hard way that handling jalapenos and then removing your contact lenses was not a good idea. I only had to do that one time and I’ve never chopped a hot pepper without gloves since!
Finely chop the cilantro and add it in to the mixture in the bowl. Add the juice of one lime and the salt. Toss all together to blend. Let stand for 30 minutes or more before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or fritos, or use in place of salsa on tacos, or as a garnish for refried beans.
I’m going to tell you the truth. I think this pico de gallo is better than the stuff we get at our local Mexican restaurant. No joke. Ole’ ya’ll.
Enjoy!
Pico de gallo, a traditional accompaniment for many Mexican dishes and a great football game snack!
10 minPrep Time
10 minTotal Time
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Ingredients
- 3 ripe Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 medium (or 1 small) onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes well, but do not peel them. Remove most of the seeds. Chop into approximately 1/4-inch dice. Chop the onion finely and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Cut the jalapeno in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and veins, then cut into fine dice. Add into the bowl with the tomatoes and onions. Finely chop the cilantro and add it in to the mixture in the bowl.
- Add the juice of one lime and the salt. Toss all together to blend. Let stand for at 30 minutes or more before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or fritos, or use in place of salsa on tacos, or as a topping for refried beans.
Notes
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