Simple Pico de Gallo

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When you think about iconic duos what comes to mind? Jordan and Pippen? Simon & Garfunkel? What about Pico de Gallo and chips? We’ll take the latter please! Are you really in a Mexican restaurant if you aren’t immediately greeted with a big bowl of Chips and a side plate of Pico de Gallo? Well we’re looking to recreate it right here with a simple, yet absolutely delicious Pico de Gallo Recipe

The secret to a great Pico de Gallo is all in the Tomatoes. Get yourself the freshest, ripest Tomatoes you can find. We’re not particularly fussy about the type of Tomato you use, they all work out well in a good Pico. For this recipe we’ve found some beautiful Red and Yellow Cherry Tomatoes which, when quartered are the perfect size for a good dipping Pico de Gallo. Larger Tomatoes you’ll need to dice down to small pieces, so if you can find some lovely Cherry Tomatoes they’re a good choice

Otherwise, a Pico de Gallo only needs 4 ingredients: Tomatoes, Lime Juice, Cilantro, and Salt. That’s it. Play with the proportions to get the taste you like however we here at Dinnertime Somewhere love our acid, so plenty of Limes go into this lovely recipe. We also add a little bit of Olive Oil into this recipe. Totally optional, we find it adds a nice finish to the dish

A great little trick we’ve learnt to get your Tomatoes as ripe as possible

For years we’d always put the Tomatoes straight into the refrigerator once we bring them home from the grocery store. It’s kind of bizarre given the Tomatoes are sitting at room temperature in the produce section! Anyway, for years we did that and have just recently started keeping them at room temperature at home

The win here is that the Tomatoes will ripen a lot quicker if they’re out at room temperature. Depending on what dish your making, overly ripe Tomatoes are the best. That is definitely the case for our Simple Pico de Gallo Recipe. The riper the Tomatoes, the ricer the flavor. So, try to buy your Tomatoes a day or two before you make the Pico de Gallo. They’ll be lovely and ripe, perfect for this recipe!

Don’t be shy with the seasoning, big flavors are what makes a Simple Pico de Gallo taste great

To get the most flavor out of those wonderful Tomatoes, seasoning is key. There are three main components of seasoning in a classic Pico de Gallo: Olive Oil, Acid (Lemon Juice or Lime Juice) and Salt. For our recipe we highly recommend being generous with all three

A great Pico de Gallo will be bursting with flavor. It’ll liven up any dish as well as being a phenomenal bite of food by itself, or on a crunchy Corn Chip. Don’t be afraid of aggressively seasoning the dish, it can take it. The Tomatoes will drink up the seasoning, so apply a liberal amount of Salt and Olive Oil to them for maximum flavor

As with all cooking, we encourage you to season as you go when preparing this dish, and always taste. Add a little bit of seasoning when making the recipe and then taste. Adding more until you reach your desired flavor profile. Remember, it is much easier to add more seasoning to a dish than to adjust it if it’s over seasoned!

If you’re preparing this Pico de Gallo for guests, we recommend scaling back the seasoning slightly, and serving some fresh Limes on the table along with some Salt. That way they can add more to their Pico once plated

Simple Pico de Gallo Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
• half a Red Onion, finely diced
• Juice of 3 Limes
• ½ cup Cilantro, chopped
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Olive Oil
  
  

Instructions

1. One you’re Tomatoes and Onions are cut into nice even pieces, place in a medium sized bowl
2. Add the Lime Juice and Salt then mix well. Let the Tomatoes sit in this mixture for a couple of minutes as the Lime starts to infuse flavor into the Tomatoes, and the Salt helps to draw out moisture and add flavor
3. Mix in the Cilantro then finish with a drizzle of Olive Oil over the top. You can serve immediately or refrigerate to serve the same day
   
   

There you have it. Really easy and delicious. I love having some Pico when cooking up any kind of Mexican food. It’s great on the side or of course, a key ingredient in some beautiful Mexican dishes wrapped with Tortilla. Try pairing it with these amazing Mexican Braised Short Ribs as part of a Mexican Feast!

While not ‘traditional’, you can also use any leftover Pico to make a delicious Bruschetta. Check out our recipe here and let us know in the comments below what you think

Happy Cooking!