This super easy recipe makes the most amazing Mild Pico de Gallo you’ve ever tasted. Using the freshest ingredients, this dish has a bright, refreshing, and bold flavor come together to give this recipe a bright and refreshing flavor.
What is Easy Mild Pico de Gallo?
Pico de Gallo (also known as Salsa Fresca) is a funny thing. It’s kind of like a salsa, kind of like a topping, kind of like a dip…it’s truly a very versatile recipe.
Traditionally, Mild Pico de Gallo is made from tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and lime. As you can see, this recipe is pretty much the same, but I added a little bit of jalapeno for the heat. Sometimes I make it spicier than others by adding a little bit more.
In English, Pico de Gallo means “rooster’s beak.” Maybe it’s because the bright colors resemble a rooster or maybe it’s because the flavors are bold and so are roosters. No one is entirely sure why it’s called that.
Vegans especially love this dish because it’s totally plant-based and gives anything you top it with a little more zest and crunch.
Ingredients
This ingredient list is more of a guideline. This is what I use, but you can change up the type of tomatoes, onions, and peppers to anything you like. In addition, if you like more of one ingredient than another, feel free to add more of one and less of another. By doing so, you’ll create your own signature Pico de Gallo recipe that you’ll enjoy every time.
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/3 red onion, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cut fresh cilantro
- 1/3 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/3 lime, juiced
- 1/2 clove garlic, pressed
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
I cannot stress how important it is to use the freshest ingredients in this recipe. The texture is part of the reason it stands up to so many different uses. Mushy Pico de Gallo just isn’t the same. If you want a more fluid texture, you’d be better off making salsa or salsa verde.
How to choose and prepare fresh ingredients for this recipe:
Tomatoes: A lot of times, I use ripe Roma (plum) tomatoes for this recipe, but you can really use any you’d like. In this one, I actually used on-the-vine NY heirloom tomatoes because they looked amazing in the package. When you buy fresh tomatoes, purchase ripe and firm ones – it’s not okay to go and squeeze all the tomatoes in your grocery store, but if you hold it and it is even a little bit soft, put it back and choose another.
Onions: I like red onions the best. I love the flavor, and they just look prettier. If you’re not a fan of red onions, you can use white onion or yellow onion too. Again, choose a firm onion with no spots or bruises. There’s nothing worse than cutting open an onion and finding that half of it is brown and mushy inside. Gross.
Cilantro: Sure, you can buy dried cilantro, but why would you want to? Fresh cilantro is easy available (even in snowy NY in the middle of January!) and tastes so much better. To chop your cilantro, you remove the leaves from the stems and then finely chop them with a very sharp knife. A dull knife is going to make it a difficult process. Because I like to make things easy, I just hold a stem of cilantro in my hand and cut at the leaves with kitchen scissors. The cuttings fall into the bowl and voila! I’m done! Doing it that way also eliminates having to pull all the leaves off of the stems first.
Peppers: Peppers are one of the main ingredients of this dish. To choose a pepper, you’ll want to again look for wrinkled spots or bruises. I usually choose medium-sized peppers. You’ll want to first cut them in half and then scrape out the seeds with a spoon. I also always wear gloves when working with peppers because I have a tendency to touch my face a lot and pepper juice in my eye is NOT what I want. If you do choose to substitute jalapeno peppers for Serrano peppers, be careful! They are extremely hot and will overpower the dish if you use too many.
Lime juice: You can absolutely use the pre-made lime juice (and in a pinch, I have too!) but the fresher a lime is, the better this recipe tastes. If you don’t have a hand juicer, you can simply squeeze it with your hand. I first microwave it for about 10 seconds to get the juices flowing, and then I cut the lime in half. Squeeze it with the cut side facing up so that the seeds don’t fall into your dish.
Garlic: I have a garlic press, and it may just be the most used kitchen tool I own. I use it for everything. No peeling is necessary. You simply pop the clove in and squeeze the handle. You really can’t mess it up. That said, if you’re really in a hurry, you can use the pre-minced garlic in a jar. Again, in a pinch, I’ve done this, but I prefer the fresh much better. I never dice garlic with a knife. First, I don’t have time. Second, to be honest, I’m really not that coordinated! I’m afraid that I’ll cut my finger off.
Salt and Pepper: I use freshly ground Pink Himalayan salt and Black Pepper for everything. I have a hand grinder that I bought on Amazon that does both. If you don’t have a grinder, you can just use the pre-ground type.
Medium-sized glass or metal bowl with a lid
Sharp knife
Metal spoon for scraping out the pepper seeds
Cutting Board
Juicer
Garlic Press
Kitchen scissors
How to Make Easy Mild Pico de Gallo
First, wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Then dice them into roughly 1/4 inch pieces.
In a large metal or glass bowl, combine all of the ingredients and toss them together. It’s important to make sure the bowl is metal or glass because plastic tends to absorb odors. Easy Mild Pico de Gallo has strong flavors that you may not want mixing into your next dish!
Once the ingredients are tossed completely, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours so that all the flavors can combine. If you are in a big hurry, Easy Mild Pico de Gallo will still be tasty right away, but the longer it sits, the better it gets.
Yield: 4
This super easy recipe makes the most amazing Mild Pico de Gallo you've ever tasted. Using the freshest ingredients, this dish has a bright, refreshing, and bold flavor come together to give this recipe a bright and refreshing flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1/3 red onion, diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cut fresh cilantro
- 1/3 jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/3 lime, juiced
- 1/2 clove garlic, pressed
- salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
First, wash all the vegetables thoroughly. Then dice them into roughly 1/4 inch pieces.
In a large metal or glass bowl, combine all of the ingredients and toss them together.
Once the ingredients are tossed completely, cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours so that all the flavors can combine.
Notes
I cannot stress how important it is to use the freshest ingredients in this recipe. The texture is part of the reason it stands up to so many different uses.
Did you make this recipe?
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Questions People Ask About Easy Mild Pico de Gallo:
What is the difference between mild salsa and Mild Pico de Gallo?
I said before that Pico de Gallo is also often called salsa fresco, which translates to “fresh sauce.” But they are actually two totally different things. The biggest difference between salsa and Pico de Gallo is that salsa contains more liquid. It’s made with roasted tomatoes, which are then crushed into a chunky texture. Pico de Gallo tomatoes aren’t cooked and therefore hold their liquid. The end result is a much drier, more textured dish.
How do I store Pico de Gallo?
You can store Pico de Gallo in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You’ll want to keep it in a glass or metal airtight container with a lid. The tomatoes, onion, and cilantro colors and flavors will seep into plastic and ruin your container. When serving, give it a good toss first so that any juices that have settled on the bottom will blend back in.
How do I Serve Mild Pico de Gallo?
Easy Mild Pico de Gallo gives a big boost of flavor to all sorts of foods, including rice, veggies, eggs, and salads. It’s also the perfect topping for tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, and any other Mexican food. I personally love it on fish tacos because it adds a layer of zesty flavor to them. Additionally, Lots of people enjoy this prime example of Mexican cuisine plain, on crackers or scooped up with tortilla chips. This is one of the reasons it’s a game-day must-have food.
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