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Mexican

Pico de Gallo

Tomato, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro are diced and tossed with lime and salt. It stays raw and gets a short rest so the juices come together.

Prep
15 min
Cook
0 min
Total
15 min
Servings
6
Difficulty
Easy
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Bowl of pico de gallo with diced tomato, white onion, jalapeño, and cilantro

Why you’ll love it

  • A small dice is the dish. Big chunks eat like a salad, not a scoop.
  • Seeding the tomatoes keeps the bowl from turning into juice.
  • Salt needs 10 minutes to pull flavor out of the onion and tomato.
  • The jalapeño seeds are the heat. Leave a few in if you want it spicier.

Ingredients

Servings6

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Cut the roma tomatoes in half, scoop out the wet seeds, and dice the flesh small.

  2. 2

    Finely dice the white onion. Mince the jalapeño. Leave a few seeds in the dice if you want more heat.

  3. 3

    Mince the garlic clove. Chop the cilantro.

  4. 4

    Stir the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and garlic in a bowl.

  5. 5

    Add the lime juice, salt, and black pepper. Toss again.

  6. 6

    Let it stand 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if the tomatoes still taste flat.

  7. 7

    Serve with chips or spoon it onto tacos. This makes about 6 servings.

Pro tips

  • If the onion is harsh, rinse the diced onion under cold water and drain it well.
  • Roma tomatoes are less watery than big slicing tomatoes.
  • Make it the day you eat it. By tomorrow the onion takes over.

Easy substitutions

jalapeño
a serrano for more heat, still seeded
cilantro
flat-leaf parsley
white onion
red onion

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate covered up to 2 days. Drain off extra liquid before serving leftovers.

Reheating

Do not reheat. Serve cold or at cool room temperature.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
44
Protein
1 g
Carbs
10 g
Fat
0 g
Fiber
2 g

Budget friendly · No Cook

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Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients