Pico de Gallo or Salsa Fresca is either done well or is horrible. There is no middle of the road. The fact is, freshness matters. You can purchase it in plastic tubs at the grocery store, but it’s worth the time to use fresh ingredients and do the chopping and dicing yourself. The taste and aroma are worth all that extra work. What you buy in a tub has been sitting in it for a long time, and the onion often gets a very harsh flavor. Some brands add preservatives, which give a harsh taste.
When you eat out and get homemade, it’s heaven on a chip.
And if you make it? You can customize it: Don’t like heat? Then use a green bell pepper. Don’t like cilantro? Leave it out. Or use flat-leaf parsley.
Allow it to sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld before eating, or even better, overnight.
It’s delicious to take the pico and add it to a pat of butter, saute the veggies until the moisture is worked out, then add whisked eggs and cook them. A delicious breakfast!
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- ½ bunch cilantro leaves
- 3 limes
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
Directions:
Peel and dice the onion.
Trim and dice the tomatoes.
Seed the peppers and dice.
Rip off the leaves of the cilantro, wash, and spin in a lettuce spinner till dry. Finely dice up.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze the limes and add with the salt, tossing gently until mixed.
Put in a glass storage container and chill for a couple of hours or overnight before enjoying.
~Sarah