• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Austin Eats
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
Home » Recipes » Rubs Sauces and Salsas

Tex-Mex Pico de Gallo

Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Salsas are very popular in Texas. Many Tex-Mex restaurants in Austin serve three or four different salsas. Pico de gallo is a fresh and flavorful salsa that is easy to make and is perfect with tortilla chips or as a topping on your favorite Tex-Mex dishes.

Pico de gallo is a popular chunky salsa made with tomatoes, onions, jalapeño or serrano peppers, cilantro, garlic and fresh lime juice. While many traditional pico de gallo recipes do not include garlic, this version does. The garlic adds subtle complexity to the flavor.

Jalapeño peppers are traditionally used in pico de gallo, however this Tex-Mex version uses serrano peppers which have a more intense flavor and are 3 - 4 times hotter. Remove the seeds and ribs to reduce the heat a bit.

Pice de gallo
Jump to:
  • Pico de Gallo vs. Salsa
  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Variations
  • Let it Rest
  • How Long does Pico de Gallo Last in the Fridge?
  • Can You Freeze Pico de Gallo?
  • Top tip
  • Related
  • Recipes Using Pico de Gallo
  • Pico de Gallo Recipe

Pico de Gallo vs. Salsa

Most Tex-Mex salsas are blended and smooth. Pico de gallo is a chunky salsa. Both have their place and are often used together. For example, Crispy Tacos Made With Leftover Brisket uses both Fire-Roasted Salsa Roja and chunky pico de gallo.

Ingredients

Pico de gallo is made from a few fresh ingredients in about 5 minutes.

pico-de-gallo-ingredients
  • Roma tomatoes
  • White onions
  • Serrano peppers
  • Garlic
  • Cilantro
  • Fresh lime juice
  • Kosher salt

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Serrano and jalapeño peppers.

A serrano pepper is smaller than a jalapeño pepper and is hotter. It also has a more intense flavor.

Serrano pepper stemmed and seeded.

The heat (from capsaicin) comes from the seeds and the ribs. This recipe calls for removing the seeds and ribs. If you want your salsa really hot, leave them in.

Roma tomato cut in half.

Remove the seeds and soft center from the roma tomatoes. The white core is just not very appealing in pico de gallo.

Diced onion.

Dice the onion and the tomatoes into small pieces, about ¼" or smaller.

The salt will cause the tomatoes to sweat and cause some water to form in the bowl. This is expected and it's actually pretty good when eating the salsa with fresh tortilla chips.

Variations

Pico de gallo is easy to adjust for to your taste. Try mixing it up a bit.

  • Jalapeño Peppers - Use jalapeño peppers instead of serrano peppers for a milder taste and less heat.
  • Make it Hotter - Add another serrano pepper with the seeds and ribs left in.
  • Red Onion - White onion has a milder taste, red onion has a stronger taste and adds some color.

Let it Rest

Pico de gallo is like most salsas that are actually better the next day because the flavors have time to blend and balance each other out. If you just can't wait a full day, then make it in the morning and let it rest in the refrigerator in a covered container for at least 2 hours.

How Long does Pico de Gallo Last in the Fridge?

Fresh pico de gallo will last about 5 days in the refrigerator if stored in an airtight container. Glass containers with a tight lid work best. Plastic single-use containers, like a deli would use, also work well.

Can You Freeze Pico de Gallo?

Yes, you can freeze pico de gallo, but it will not be anything like fresh salsa. Water expands when it freezes. The water in the peppers and tomatoes will expand and cause the cells to rupture changing the texture of the salsa. After it thaws, the pico de gallo will be soft, more like cooked salsa, and the cilantro will have turned dark in color. It's just not the same. Make a new batch of fresh. It's worth it!

Top tip

Wear gloves! Capsaicin, the ingredient in peppers that makes them hot, is easily absorbed into your fingertips and is very hard to wash away. Rub your eyes just one time and you will wish you wore gloves.

Related

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

  • Salsa Verde
    Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde
  • Carnitas Nachos
  • Fire Roasted Salsa Roja
    Fire Roasted Salsa Roja
  • Queso Fundido
    Queso Fundido with Chorizo

Recipes Using Pico de Gallo

These are my favorite dishes to serve with fresh pico do gallo:

  • Brisket tacos from leftover brisket.
    Crispy Tacos Made With Leftover Beef Brisket
  • Brisket Stuffed Chile Relleno
    Brisket Stuffed Chile Rellenos
  • Chorizo Breakfast Tacos
    Chorizo Breakfast Tacos
  • Brisket Queso
    Brisket Queso
Pice de gallo

Pico de Gallo Recipe

A fresh and lively salsa that is perfect with chips or as a topping on your favorite Tex-Mex dishes.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Tex Mex
Servings 12 servings
Calories 20 kcal

Ingredients
  

Pico de Gallo

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 4 Roma tomatoes seeded and diced into ¼" cubes
  • ½ cup white onion chopped fine
  • 2 jalapeño peppers stemmed, seeded, diced and split
  • ¼ cup cilantro fresh and chopped
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a medium bowl, mix the oil, garlic, lime juice and one half of the diced jalapeño peppers. Let it stand for 15 minutes to for the flavors blend.
  • Add the diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro and salt. Mix well and taste. Add additional salt and diced peppers to suit your taste.

Notes

Serrano peppers may be substituted for jalapeño peppers if you like it hot,  Serrano peppers tend to be a bit spicier and 4 times hotter than jalapeño peppers.  Both are good.

Nutrition

Serving: 12gCalories: 20kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 0.3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 99mgPotassium: 73mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 223IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 6mgIron: 0.1mg
Keyword salsa
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Rubs Sauces and Salsas

  • Homemade Chili Powder
    Homemade Chili Powder
  • Kansas City Barbecue Dry Rub
    Kansas City Barbecue Dry Rub
  • Pasta with Meat Sauce
    Meat Sauce for Pasta
  • Bourbon BBQ Sauce
    Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Dave

I'm Dave, just a guy who likes to cook for family and friends and take pictures of what I make. I am not a chef. While some of my recipes might look complicated and intimidating, I assure you that they are all really quite easy. If you can cut an onion, you can make any recipe on this website. Have some fun and make something new.

  • Pizza Dough
    Overnight Pizza Dough for a Wood Fired Pizza Oven
  • Smoked Pulled Pork - Tender, Juicy and Easy to Make
  • Creamed Corn with Poblano Peppers
    Texas Style Creamed Corn with Poblano Peppers

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • GDPR Cookie Policy
  • About

Newsletter

  • Sign Up for recipe updates

Contact

  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Austin Eats & Victor Udall Photography, LLC