This is dad’s favorite salsa recipe. It’s pico de gallo, and it’s made with fresh, crisp vegetables.
This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, El Paso Chile Company’s Texas Border Cookbook
I use Anaheim chiles most of the time, but occasionally I’ll add a poblano or two, my favorite pepper. Serve pico de gallo with your favorite Mexican dish, or as a chunky salsa with tortilla chips.
Pico de Gallo Recipe
The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of cilantro and ¾ teaspoon of salt. I increase the cilantro to ½ and the salt to 1 teaspoon, especially if I add an extra pepper or two.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 long green chiles
- 2 large ripe tomatoes about 1 pound, cored, seeded, and coarsely hand-chopped
- 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
- ½ cup minced cilantro
- 2 to 3 fresh yellow chiles or large fresh jalapeno chiles stemmed and coarsely hand-chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the open flame of a gas burner or under a preheated broiler, roast the long green chiles, turning them until they are lightly but evenly charred. Steam the chiles in a paper bag, or in a bowl, covered with a plate, until cool. Rub away the burned peel. Stem and seed the chiles and coarsely chop them. There should be about 1 cup.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, chopped green chiles, onions, cilantro, yellow chiles, lime juice, and salt. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Adjust the seasoning. Though the salsa will lose some of its texture, the flavor will remain good for up to 2 days.
Notes
Yields about 3 cups.
[…] Today we celebrated mom’s birthday. We had a Mexican feast, her favorite. On the menu: pico de gallo, guacamole, frijoles refritos, cheese enchiladas, sopa de pollo, corn casserole, and 1800 […]