Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Fresh Tomato Salsa or Pico De Gallo Recipe -- Easy, Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo



I think I have mentioned quite a few times here about how much I love Mexican food, how much I love salsa especially. I have a few different salsa recipes, from my fermented salsa, to my canned salsa that tastes just like or better than the expensive jarred stuff I used to buy.

This recipe is for pico de gallo, a fresh tomato salsa hailing from Mexico. According to my Mexican chef friend Enrique, it is called that, which means beak of the rooster, because it is spicy and sharp, just like the rooster's beak. It can also be called salsa Mexicana or salsa picada, and in some areas is called salsa cruda or salsa fresca (but in Enrique's area, the northeast, on the Mexican border, those last two would be blended, and not like this.)

There are many different versions, and they generally do have cilantro, but I make mine without, but feel free to add if you like and have it available. This salsa is terrific on just about anything, as a dip for chips, in tacos, fajitas, burritos, or on whatever your favorite protein is.

And of course, this recipe is great for most diets, other than people that can't handle spice or nightshades.

Fresh Tomato Salsa or Pico De Gallo Recipe -- Easy, Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo

Ingredients:
1 extra large or 2 medium sized tomatoes
1 extra large or 2 medium bell peppers (any color, though I prefer red)
1 large onion
1-2 hot peppers (or to taste)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
2 tablespoons lemon juice or lime juice

Instructions:
1. Dice your tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Mix them together.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients, other than the hot peppers. Mix well.

3. Chop your hot peppers finely and add to the salsa. I find, at least with the hot peppers that I buy, that the heat can vary tremendously, and while sometimes two or three hot peppers will barely add any spice, other times half of one is enough. Also, this would depend on the type of hot peppers you use and your love of spice. Basically this part is up to you.

Enjoy!

Are you a fan of salsa? Do you prefer fresh or cooked? How do you make yours? Does this look like a recipe you'd try? What do you call this dish? What is your favorite thing to put it on?

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the recipe. I use to make my own salsa because it was cheaper but in the end I had to trash it because I couldn't eat all that in less than a week. So now I usually get a jar from the store. But I love Pico De Gallo and will be making this recipe the next time I make fish tacos. I think the only difference between salsa and Pico is that salsa is more blended, less texture, less ingredients. For example my homemade salsa was a can of diced tomatoes with chilies, add a few jalapeno slices and blend. Done.

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