Who doesn’t love fresh and fabulous Pico de Gallo? Alone with chips or as a side to fajitas and all your favorite Mexican meals, I’ve got a super hack for you to cut down on your chopping time and make this the easiest Pico de Gallo you’ve ever made!
I love love love Pico de Gallo but that chopping! And the way my family devours it, I have to use a dozen or more tomatoes just to get a decent amount, and even then, there’s hardly anything leftover. Chopping the tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos is a real pain, but I’ve found a handy gizmo that takes all the work out of making this Pico de Gallo recipe (more on that below).
Fresh and fabulous Pico de Gallo is amazing all year long, and we eat gallons of it. I used to get it at my favorite Mexican restaurants, but now that we’re not living in Texas anymore, I make it from scratch. It’s easier to make than you might think, and it only takes a handful of ingredients.
Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes – Look for fresh, ripe, and firm Roma tomatoes.
- Onion – You can also use sweet onion.
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapeno – Add more or less to your liking. Use a serrano pepper instead if you like it hot hot!
- Lime
- Salt – I use kosher salt. If you use table salt, use half the amount.
How To Chop Tomatoes For Pico de Gallo
For this Pico de Gallo recipe, you need to dice the tomato into tiny pieces, and this is tedious and time-consuming! The best pico is made with tomatoes that are diced the same size, and unless you’ve got ninja knife skills or oodles of patience, this can be a tedious and daunting task. But not if you use an alligator chopper! We used industrial alligator choppers eons ago when I had my restaurant, but today, for home kitchens, this alligator chopper does the trick, and in fact, it is the very chopper I own.
How To Make The Best Pico de Gallo
- Wash the Roma tomatoes and dice them, discarding as much of the pulpy seeds as you can (they make the pico very runny otherwise).
- Peel and dice the onion.
- Seed and dice the jalapeno.
- Mix the diced tomatoes, diced onion, and diced jalapeno in a bowl, along with the cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
- Refrigerate until ready to eat!
Step-By-Step Process
What Tomatoes Are Best For Pico de Gallo?
I like using Roma tomatoes for this easy Pico de Gallo recipe. They have fewer seeds which makes for a much more delicious pico, and they’re less watery, which means that your pico showcases the flavor without it becoming a soupy mess. You can use any kind of tomato, really, just remove as many of the seeds as you can.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- To dice the tomatoes, I cut off the stem end and then slice the tomato in half from stem to tip. I use my finger to scoop out the seed pulp and discard it. Next, I’ll slice each half in half again the same way, then I use my chopper to dice the tomatoes. Alternatively, you can dice them at this point.
- Adjust the jalapeno to suit your taste. Add more if you like it spicy. Or, swap in a serrano pepper for even more heat.
- Add more or less lime juice as needed – you want the pico to be flavorful but not sour/tangy.
- Salt is important! A pinch of salt goes a long way to seasoning pico de gallo.
- Wash cilantro really well – it can be sandy. You can use the stems, too, not just the leaves.
Recommended
Make It A Meal
Pico de Gallo is perfect with a bowl of crispy tortilla chips, but you can also serve it alongside other tasty eats like smoked shrimp, quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, authentic Camarones a la Diabla, and more. Or, build an appetizer bar or share a bowl of pico on game day next to tasty eats like queso, carnitas, and smoked pork shots.
Storage
Personally, I think this Mexican Pico de Gallo tastes better the next day. It’ll keep fine in your fridge for a few days, but after that, it’ll start to go downhill and get runny as the tomatoes break down. Keep it in an airtight container for 2-3 days, and it’ll be fine.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 1 pound Roma tomatoes diced small
- ½ cup red onion diced
- ¼ cup cilantro or to taste
- ½ jalapeno seeded and diced fine
- 3 tablespoons lime juice or to taste
- 1 pinch salt or to taste
Instructions
- Wash the Roma tomatoes and dice them, discarding as much of the pulpy seeds as you can (they make the pico very runny otherwise).
- Peel and dice the onion.
- Seed and dice the jalapeno.
- Mix the diced tomatoes, diced onion, and diced jalapeno in a bowl, along with the cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.
- Refrigerate until ready to eat!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- To dice the tomatoes, I cut off the stem end and then slice the tomato in half from stem to tip. I use my finger to scoop out the seed pulp and discard it. Next, I’ll slice each half in half again the same way, then I use my chopper to dice the tomatoes. Alternatively, you can dice them at this point.
- Adjust the jalapeno to suit your taste. Add more if you like it spicy. Or, swap in a serrano pepper for even more heat.
- Add more or less lime juice as needed – you want the pico to be flavorful but not sour/tangy.
- Salt is important! A pinch of salt goes a long way to seasoning pico de gallo.
- Wash cilantro really well – it can be sandy. You can use the stems, too, not just the leaves