Pico de gallo, also called salsa fresca, is a common Mexican salsa found in just about every Mexican restaurant, often served as a side or topping to your preferred Mexican dish.

While the ingredients are pretty standard: tomatoes, onions, garlic, serrano chilies, cilantro, salt, and lime, the quality of this simple dish can vary widely from place to place. I’ve had some terrible Pico de Gallo both in restaurants and store bought – by terrible I mean watery or bland, or too much onion, or too much tomato, or too salty, or not salty enough, you name it. It always surprises me that simple dishes like this can still be made so poorly. Having said that, I recognize we all have different tastes (I like lots of chili, garlic, and lime, and I HATE when the tomatoes are cut too big. Picky, I know.) But this is why making this at home will result in your perfect Pico de Gallo version. 

A few notes to mention here: First the tomatoes. Core and de-seed them to avoid a watery, soggy salsa. The salt you add to the tomatoes will cause them to release a lot of liquid already. Plus, nobody enjoys having tomato seeds stuck in their teeth.

Next, the chilies. For me, I use 2 serrano chilies (seeds and all) as a standard. Sometimes I use more; I rarely ever use less. You can remove the seeds and the white lining to reduce the heat, or use less peppers, or use a Jalapeno instead. But chilies are like any produce – sometimes they will be hotter than the other time. So go with your gut on this one. 

As for cilantro – I’ve learned that this is a somewhat polarizing ingredient. Some people love it (me); some people hate it (I have a friend who says it tastes like soap; another who says it tastes like feet. Interesting.) Sometimes when making this for a dinner party, I make two batches – one sans cilantro, which I think tastes strange, but cilantro-haters have never complained.

Lastly, Mexican oregano. This is not the same as Italian oregano that you use in your pasta dishes, and honestly I don’t feel they are interchangeable. While they both share the name “oregano”, they are in fact from different plant families and have different tastes and aromas. Mexican oregano is more lemony & citrusy while the Italian or Mediterranean variety is more earthy with minty undertones. If you can’t find Mexican oregano, you can leave this out. Or you can go on Amazon and order some for your next batch 🙂