quick and easy pico.
A super-simple pico de gallo salsa to kick breakfast skillets, tacos, and burrito bowls up a notch.
Makes: 1 cup Prep time: 05 minutes Cook Time: 02 minutes jump to recipe.
You guys, I’m not going to waste your time here. This is just a pico de gallo salsa the way I always make it. No blending, mashing, roasting, just a couple good dices and a stir. If your knife skills are fast, this is a five minute salsa. At worst, it’s a ten minute salsa. And no matter what, you’re only dirtying your knife and a bowl (okay, and a cutting board, and a spoon).
Believe it or not, I really prefer to make my own pico rather than buy it from the store. While they’re delicious, they’re too watery, almost like a blended salsa instead of a medley of tomatoes. I’d guess it’s because large-scale production would involve a Robot-coupe chopping situation, mushing them all together in the process. Don’t get me wrong, I love that for a chip-and-dip salsa, but for toppings I prefer it a little more chunky.
I included an ingredient list and ways to use the salsa, largely to make this webpage credible for SEO, but also to make sure you have all the tools you need to make this, no questions asked. Think you’ve got the idea, no need for the bullshit? Just jump to the recipe.
quick and easy pico ingredients
tomatoes: Technically you can use any tomatoes you please, but my advice is to use roma tomatoes. These are the oval-shaped, palm-sized tomatoes that are always, always found in grocery stores, even Target. Not only is this variety versatile, it’s also firm, with very little juice and seeds inside. An heirloom, beefsteak, or even vine tomato will have a lot more juice on the inside, which I recommend scraping out if you intend to use these varieties.
onion: I use red onion for a bolder flavor, but feel free to use white onion if you prefer it. Dice these very small for the best results.
cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, you could omit this, but I think this makes or breaks the salsa. Finely chop a handful of cilantro until the pieces are teeny tiny. This disperses the herb throughout the salsa and removes any leafy texture.
salt: Don’t forget this — I often do and regret my mistake as I’m eating. Not that it’s 100% necessary to salt a little bowl of tomatoes and onions, but it definitely helps the salsa become more than just a little bowl of tomatoes and onions. Start with a pinch. You probably won’t need more than that (it’s just pico).
lime: I always, always have a bowl of limes in the kitchen and think everyone should have at least a few on hand at any time. That, or lemons, depending what kinds of dishes and drinks you make. Obviously the most important thing to have for pico is a tomato, and I’ve thrown it together with less than half of these ingredients. One thing you really shouldn’t go without? Lime juice. Without it, the pico is dry, tomato-heavy, and kind of blah. If you just realized you don’t have limes and already have your bowl of tomatoes ready, use olive oil instead. Not the same, but you’ll still have a really nice bruschetta-like topping to use instead.
And that’s it.
Just a couple fresh ingredients. Easy, right? If you want to make it extra-special, chop up some avocado and throw it in last, add some fresh corn, or finely chop a jalapeno and combine.
Generally my proportions for this are 2:1:1; tomato, onion, cilantro. This may help if you’re eyeballing the ingredients. For a small portion, this means that you’re using maybe one slice of red onion.
quick and easy pico pairing options
You can definitely just scoop this up with chips, but I typically make this as a topping for dishes that need a little extra veg. Here are some ways I use pico:
topping breakfast skillets; my favorite is sweet potato, ground beef, kale
topping tacos
topping burrito bowls, like the one pictured below
over fried or scrambled eggs
on avocado toast, with a sprinkle of Cajun seasoning and chiles
adding on top of breakfast burritos
california-style burgers, with avocado and sprouts or lettuce
