Easy Pico de Gallo from Scratch | Classic Salsa Fresca Recipe

Pico de Gallo or Salsa Fresca made with simple, fresh ingredients is the ideal side dish or dip for all your favorite Mexican dishes! In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make this classic tomato salsa recipe from scratch in practically no time at all.

The Difference between Pico de Gallo and Salsa

It can sometimes be confusing to know what truly classifies as salsa in Mexican cuisine. The simple explanation is that salsa is the Spanish word for “sauce”, which means it can come in a lot of different variations. Salsa can be chopped or pureed, raw or cooked, and served chunky or saucy.

Pico de Gallo is also sometimes referred to as Salsa Fresca, which means “fresh sauce”, since it’s made with fresh, uncooked ingredients. I consider this delicious Pico de Gallo one of the easiest and quickest salsas to make because it only requires chopping and mixing. Today, I’ll be showing you how to make classic and simple Pico de Gallo from scratch.

 

How to Avoid Watery Salsa

One of the most common problems you can have with Pico de Gallo is if it turns out watery. Watery salsa isn’t as satisfying because the excess water makes the salsa less flavorful and can even make your food soggy. I avoid this by using fresh Roma tomatoes.

Roma tomatoes typically have denser, firmer flesh and fewer seeds than juicier tomato varieties, which makes them perfect for a salsa-like this one. If you can’t find Roma tomatoes, I suggest asking your local grower which varieties of tomatoes available have the densest flesh.

But if you only have juicy tomatoes, you can still avoid watery salsa by removing the seeds and the juiciest parts of the tomato.

How to Make Pico de Gallo less Spicy

If you want to reduce the spiciness of your Pico de Gallo but still want to keep the flavor from the jalapenos, simply remove the seeds of the jalapeno before adding it to the salsa. I usually do this when serving Pico de Gallo to my family since they don’t enjoy spicy food as much as I do.

Of course, if you want more heat, feel free to leave the seeds in. You can even add some Thai chili peppers to make it extra hot!

What to Use Pico De Gallo For

There are so many things you can do with this fresh and tangy salsa! At home, I usually make this as a quick dip for corn chips or tortilla chips. The combination of soft and crisp textures from the salsa combined with the crunchy chips makes for a really wonderful snack.

If you have corn chips or tortilla chips on hand, I highly recommend making Pico de Gallo to go with it – it’s quick, easy, and very satisfying. You can even add cheese to make delicious nachos!

We also have this Pico de Gallo as a side dish for carne asada or tacos. The fresh and tangy flavors complement the richness of the meat beautifully. It’s a classic pairing!