Fresh Pico de Gallo

Fresh Pico de Gallo is a must-have for many Mexican meals, particularly for my Breakfast Tostadas with Chorizo. It adds the perfect crunch and freshness to this delicious breakfast. I go easy on the lime juice for the breakfast version, but go all in if I use this for Spicy shrimp tacos, Slow-Braised Spicy Brisket Tacos, or Carne Asada tacos.

Ingredients

• Fresh tomatoes
• Fresh jalapeño or serrano chiles
• White or yellow onion
• Fresh cilantro
• Squeeze of lime (use more lime juice if you are making this recipe for tacos, for breakfast tacos, or tostadas. I use a small amount of lime juice.)
• Kosher or sea salt

Delicious Variations

Pico de Gallo with Avocado or fruit

This recipe is a perfect base for delicious add-ons such as cubed avocado (a favorite around here!), fresh pineapple, mango, or even peaches! Just add cubed avocado to this base recipe right before serving.

If you love salsas with fruit, try my Grilled Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa or mouthwatering Zesty Shrimp Avocado Jicama Salad, which is an all-in-one: part salsa, part salad, with some ceviche vibes. Delicious!

Salsa Bandera

In the Northern Mexican states, this salsa is often called Salsa Bandera. My Mom makes this salsa, but instead of jalapeño or Serranos, she uses roasted Hatch or Anaheim chiles. It’s so tasty!

Tried and true tips

I have a few tips for making this recipe successfully:

• Keep in mind that lime juice and salt will break down the tomatoes faster than the onions and chiles. I like to season the ingredients and add lime juice right before serving.
• If you make a larger batch of Pico de Gallo, add the lime juice and salt before serving. The rest of the fresh ingredients will keep for a few more days without the acid.
• If you opt for adding avocado, the same rule applies. Add right before serving to prevent browning.
• Chop ingredients uniformly.
• Use kitchen gloves to seed the chile peppers. If you don’t have any, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling them. Avoid contact with your eyes, been there, done that! Not pleasant. 🙂
• Remove the seeds and membrane from the chiles to lessen the heat. Sometimes, even without the seeds, the flesh of the chile peppers will be hot.
• Use the leaves and smaller stems of cilantro. Remove any thicker stems.

Love some spice in the morning?

I love these spicy and filling breakfasts! These are some of my go-tos for weekdays and weekends! Baked Mexican Chorizo and Eggs, Easy Baked Chorizo Egg Bites, Cajun Spiced Potato Hash with Sausage, and Vegetable Breakfast Hash with Sweet Potatoes.

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