A fresh, raw salsa that adds a burst of flavor to almost anything, from tacos to scrambled eggs.

Originally created for our Mexican Cooking Fiesta class, this recipe was also featured in our Mostly Plants series.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups of ripe tomatoes that have been diced small, with seeds and juice removed (see notes)

1 cup of white onion, diced small

About 15-20 sprigs of cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1/4 cup chopped)

1 jalapeno or serrano chile, diced small (about 1 Tablespoon or less to start with, more if desired)

Juice of 1 lime (about 1 1/2 Tablespoons)

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Instructions

1.   Combine the tomatoes, onions and cilantro in a bowl.

2.  Stir in the lime juice and salt, and about 1 Tablespoon diced chiles.

3.  Taste it with a bit of whatever you're serving it with - a tortilla chip if you're serving it with chips, or a bit of corn tortilla if you're serving it on tacos. Since the chips can bring quite a bit of salt to the bite, you'll want to adjust your seasoning accordingly if you're serving it with chips. 

4.  Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend, then taste again and adjust salt, lime juice or chiles as needed.

Notes:

I am always torn about removing the seeds and juice from the tomatoes when making this, but here's the thing: at the bottom of any bowl of Pico de Gallo inevitably lurks a pool of liquid. This liquid is delicious, mind you, but still, it's liquid - and that's not what the people want from their Pico de Gallo. They want all those chunky, crunchy pieces, not liquid. 

If you remove the seeds and pulp like I usually do, you wind up with less liquid in the bottom of the bowl. If you are morally opposed to wasting all that flavorful goodness, I totally understand, and you can leave them in. Or, if you want the best of both worlds, you could whisk them in a separate bowl with a little salt and olive oil to make a quick vinaigrette, then toss it into a salad.