Nicole's Quick Take: Pico de gallo is a raw, chopped salsa made from diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro, pepper, and lime juice — no cooking required. I make mine straight from whatever's ripe in my kitchen garden that week.

By Nicole Johnsey Burke: Founder of Gardenary and Author of Kitchen Garden Revival

Pico de Gallo Is an Easy, Healthy Recipe That Doesn't Involve Cooking

I'd much rather be tending my garden than standing over a hot stove stirring something. That's why my ideal recipes are those that you can assemble, not cook. When they call for lots of garden-fresh ingredients like this easy pico de gallo recipe, you're really just tossing a bunch of healthy things into a bowl!

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can customize it based on your tastes and the ingredients you have available.

Pico de Gallo vs. Salsa

They start with nearly the same ingredients, but pico de gallo and salsa aren't made the same way.

The salsa my family ate by the bowlful at TexMex restaurants while we were living in Houston always ran on the runnier side.

Differences:

• Texture: Made with diced ingredients that are never blended or pureed
• Liquid: Comes only from lime juice and the natural juiciness of the tomatoes, not from added water or broth
• Preparation: Traditionally made from fresh, raw ingredients only, while salsa is often cooked or made with roasted or stewed tomatoes
• Best use: Pico de gallo's chunkier texture holds up better on tacos, giving you something to bite into instead of a topping that slides right off

If you're looking for more texture on your tacos, quesadillas, or eggs, pico de gallo is your answer. Salsa's still great for dipping, but pico is the one I reach for when I want the dish itself to have some crunch.

Garden-Fresh Pico de Gallo Ingredients

Pico de Gallo Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds red tomatoes
• 1 white or red onion
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro (about one bunch)
• 1 medium-sized pepper (jalapeño, serrano, or shishito)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 pinch of ground cumin
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

When you're serving something raw, it's important to use the freshest ingredients possible. Let's see which ingredients you might be able to pull from your garden and toss into some delicious pico.

Tomatoes

Many pico de gallo recipes call for Roma (or plum) tomatoes, which are less watery than other varieties. I like to use cherry tomatoes because that's what I'm most likely to have growing up my arch trellises. Plus, you can't beat their flavor. Choose your ripest, plumpest tomatoes for this recipe.

(Want to give growing your own cherry tomatoes a try? Check out our complete guide here.)

Garlic and Onions

You can use red or white onions, whatever you've got stored or can find fresh at the farmers' market.

Cilantro

When my cilantro, parsley, and dill are in season, I look for recipes where I can use a lot of leaves. Cilantro is ideal to add that zestier flavor to pico de gallo, but if you think it tastes like soap, you can use parsley instead to still get some nice green color.

(Check out my tips on how to grow your own cilantro here. You'll have enough leaves to make pico for days.)

Peppers

Most of the pico de gallo recipes you'll find call for fresh jalapeño. If you'd like to dial down the heat a bit, try a serrano pepper, bell pepper, or one of my favorites, shishito pepper. If you'd prefer foregoing the heat entirely, you can swap the pepper for black beans or corn.

Step One

Chop your onion finely.

Remove the seeds from your pepper if you'd prefer less heat. Remove the ribs and chop the flesh finely.

Transfer chopped onion and pepper to a large bowl, add a pinch of salt, and set aside to marinate.

Step Two

Core your tomatoes and chop the red flesh finely. Chop the cilantro finely. (Don't be afraid to chop the stems of cilantro—they're packed with flavor too.)

Mince your garlic clove.

Step Three

Add the tomatoes, garlic, and parsley to the marinated bowl of onions and peppers.

Add the lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Stir your ingredients together.

Step Four

Let your pico de gallo rest for a bit before serving to allow all the flavors to mingle. Place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes (you'll get the best flavor if you can leave it for 2 to 3 hours).

Step Five

Serve your pico with a slotted spoon to prevent all the tomato juice that will accumulate from making your chips or tortillas soggy.

Pico de gallo can be eaten with tortilla chips, added as a taco topper, stuffed into quesadillas, or mixed with scrambled eggs.

How Long Does Pico de Gallo Last?

This is a dish best served fresh as tomatoes tend to lose their flavor if refrigerated. If you do have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge inside an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!