Posted by The key to perfect homemade pico de gallo? You gotta taste it like crazy as you make it. The measurements below are simply a guide. The measurements greatly vary depending on the ripeness of your tomatoes, the intensity of your onion, the heat of your jalapeño, and so on. Plan to have a bowl of chips next to you as you make this recipe, so you can taste and tweak like crazy.
Ingredients
- 4–5 plum or Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/3 cup onion, finely diced (white, yellow, or red onions would all work)
- 1/2 of a jalapeño, seeded (or unseeded, if you want extra heat)
- 2–4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely minced
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
- 1 garlic clove
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Toss the diced tomatoes and onion in a bowl, and add in the minced jalapeño and cilantro. Cilantro is vital to this dish, but it can be overpowering, so it’s OK to err on the side of caution and start with a smaller amount at first. You can always add more.
- Now we’re going to make a garlic paste.
- Start with one clove of peeled garlic and start mincing it like you normally would.
- But keep going. Make those garlic bits smaller and smaller.
- Sprinkle some sea salt on top of your minced bits. And mince some more.
- Now, take the edge of your knife and proceed to smash the minced garlic into the cutting board. We’re shooting for pulverized garlic here.
- Switch off between smashing and mincing until the garlic has released it’s yummy juices and has turned into a mass of garlic pulp. This takes a bit longer than regular mincing, but it’s oh-so worth it.
- Add the garlic pulp to the rest of the ingredients.
- Squeeze on the lime juice, sprinkle in some salt, and taste and adjust as needed.
- When it’s perfect, serve it with tortilla chips as a dip, or drop it on tacos, nachos, burritos or whatever your little heart desires.
- You can serve your homemade pico de gallo immediately, or store it in the fridge for a while too. I’ve found sometimes letting it sit for a while improves the flavors as they have a chance to meld. You’ll want to eat it within a couple days, though. And keep in mind the peppers often increase in heat a bit the longer it sits.