Classic 5-Ingredient Pico De Gallo Recipe

Pico de gallo is a sauce of many monikers, with aliases including salsa bandera, salsa cruda, salsa fresca, salsa Mexicana, and salsa picada. No matter the name, what you get is a fairly simple sauce made from tomatoes, onions, and chiles, plus maybe a few more ingredients for seasoning. As developer De Witt says of her version, "I like this recipe because it's so easy to put together and it's fresh and tasty." She also notes, "You can adjust the spice level depending on how you are using it."

While most pico de gallo recipes call for salt, De Witt tells us, "I use Tajin in this recipe." The reason she chooses this special ingredient is that she feels it's "a natural pairing for tomatoes." If you have no Tajin, she says you can use salt instead, but as she's a true fan of the stuff, she says, "It makes a tasty addition to many recipes and tastes wonderful on fruit and as a rim for margaritas."

The salsa itself is made of Roma tomatoes, sweet onions, jalapeño, and cilantro. It is seasoned with Tajin, a seasoning blend that combines the flavors of salt, lime, and three types of pepper: chile de árbol, guajillo, and pasilla.

Quarter the Roma tomatoes.

Using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.

Dice the tomatoes and add to a medium sized bowl.

Add onions, jalapeños, and cilantro to the tomatoes.

Add lime juice and Tajin. Stir to combine.

Allow pico de gallo to marinate for 15 minutes before serving.

The tomatoes De Witt likes to use for her salsa are Romas because, as she says, "They have few seeds and dense flesh which makes them ideal for pico de gallo." What's more, she tells us, Romas also "hold up well against the acidity of the lime juice." She does say that you can feel free to swap them out for other tomatoes if you wish, but adds the caveat, "Just make sure they are ripe and flavorful."

As for the onions, she tells us, "Any variety of sweet onion ... works well in pico de gallo because they are milder than other onion varieties." Among the types of sweet onions you might find in the supermarket are Walla Walla and Vidalia. If you want a salsa that's extra spicy, De Witt suggests simply adding extra jalapeño, but you could also try switching things up by using serranos instead, as these tend to be quite a bit hotter.

Once you've made your pico de gallo, be prepared to use it up pretty darn quick. Well, maybe not too quickly, since De Witt recommends that you let it sit for at least 15 minutes. This rest period, she says, is "so that the seasoning has time to draw out the flavor of the tomatoes." Still, once that 15 minutes is up, the clock starts ticking because she insists, "Pico de gallo is best enjoyed the day it is made." She does allow, though, that it can be kept for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

While pico de gallo makes a great chip dip, there are plenty of other things you can do with it. It can be used as a sauce for burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and tacos, while De Witt suggests using it on huevos rancheros. You could also mix it with ranch dressing to make salsa ranch for your salad or sandwich.