What's Pico de Gallo?

[V in Vancouver, WA]

Hi, I read menus that list Pico de Gallo as one of the ingredients usually for Burritos or Mexican foods but have never heard of it, so can anyone tell me what this is and perhaps furnish a recipe??

[Kitchen Witch]

We'd be more than happy to!

Pico de Galllo (Salsa Freso) is basically a fresh tomato and jalapeno salsa; served as an appetizer with crisp tortilla chips and also used as a condiment for various foods - tacos, burritos, omelets or just about anything actually.


There are many recipes -


4 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped*
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium white or red onion, finely chopped**
1 1/2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons green jalapeno sauce
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
4 to 6 fresh or pickled jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped***
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Juice of 1 small lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Combine all ingredients in glass (or non-reactive) bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Makes about 6 cups salsa.

* To "ripen" tomatoes and improve their taste, do not refrigerate when you first bring them home from the grocery store. Place the tomatoes, stem side-side down in a basket on your counter. Allow a few days to continue ripening. When they have ripened to your taste, then refrigerate. This really does improve the flavor and it's a must when vine-ripened are not available!

** When using raw onions in a recipe or as a condiment, always soak the onion in ice water after you have chopped or sliced it. Drain just before using/serving. This takes the unpleasantness out of the onion, leaving it sweet tasting and crisp. Even the pickiest eater will like raw onions prepared this way.

***Working with jalapenos or other chiles: Capsaicin is the ingredient in chiles that causes the burning sensaation associated with fresh peppers. It's a good idea to use rubber gloves when handling fresh chiles. (Disposable surgical gloves, available at most drugstores, work best for this.) If you choose not to use gloves, be extremely careful not to touch any part of your body, especially your eyes. After you've finished handling the chiles, wash your knife and cutting board with hot soapy water to ensure that there is no carry-over to other foods that may come in contact with the peppers.



4 Chili Serrano* (or to taste), no not seed.
1 Medium White or Brown Onion
3-4 Medium Tomatoes (do not peel or seed)
1 Large Clove Garlic
1 bunch Cilantro
Juice of 1 Ripe Lime.

To Prepare:

Make a fine dice of Tmatoes, Onions, and Chilis, coarsely chop Cilantro, crush Garlic in a press. Add Lime Juice and thoroughly combine all ingredients. Allow to marry flavors for at least 1 hour, set aside in a cool place (DO NOT refrigerate) Leftover can be refrigerated, but brought to room temperature before serving. For a larger quantity increase ingredients according to desired amount of salsa.

Preparation Time: 30 min. Shelf Life: 1 1/2 to 2 days. Makes 1 pint.

I hope this helps.

KW

[pjracz10]

It is a more busier salsa. Here is my favorite, but the the options to throw in anything or omit things are to your taste, I don't have a recipe, I just make the amount according to how many people your serving.
Diced steak tomatos
Diced up red or white onions (I perfer red)
diced up jalepeno peppers (again to your taste) I use 2 to 3 I like spicy
shredded green cabbage (I use a about a half a head)
Handful of minced fresh cilantro (optional)
the juice of two large limes
a little salt
Stir it all up and let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours to allow everything to marry. This is great on all sort of main dishes and dipping with chips.

[habalaba]

Pico de gallo is almost a staple in Texas. We chop the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, add salt and lime, and put on chicken or beef fajitas, also use it as a dip or mix with avacados for a garnish. It is also a great shrimp cocktail base.

[elisnanna]

I accidentally discovered a great addition to regular pico de gallo. The first time I made it at home, I was flying by the seat of my pants, trying to remember what all was in it at the last restaurant where I had it. I would have sworn there was a little bit of cucumber in it, so I added some. It was fantastic - even better than the pico I've had at several different restaurants! lol

So, whenever I fix homemade fajitas, I always make my own pico, and I use the usual fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro, but I also finely dice a small amount of cucumber (after spooning out the seeds) and add it to the mix, along with, salt, pepper and a tiny bit of lime or lemon juice, whatever I have handy. After mixing, I let it set in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before using it.

The cucumber really freshens it up and gives it a great flavor!

[Kitchen Witch]

elisnanna -

thank you for sharing that!

KW