Pico de gallo is known as a traditional culinary preparation of Mexican cuisine that is conceived as a sauce, although it could be said that its appearance is more than a salad since it is neither liquid nor creamy, it consists of various chopped ingredients or chopped. The fact is that it is a very versatile condiment in the gastronomy of Mexico since it is served with nachos, tacos, quesadillas, meats, fish … and even with mashed avocado to make delicious guacamole.
The Pico de gallo, the Mexican sauce that is also known as ‘ fresh sauce ‘ and ‘ Mexican sauce ‘, is very easy and quick to make, its basic ingredients are tomato, onion and jalapeño pepper (or serrano pepper ), with which you have the three colors of the flag of Mexico. Then they are seasoned with fresh coriander, lime juice and salt, resulting in a spicy, sweet, sour, crunchy sauce …
As it happens with all the traditional recipes in the world, variants arise according to the families or the chefs, in fact, in several cookbooks of great Mexican chefs we have discovered some of them that, if you fancy, we will share. At the moment, we are going to show you the traditional recipe of the Mexican Pico de gallo, or at least, the most popular and simple recipe, but extremely delicious, we love it, to the point that we also make it to flavor dishes that do not have Mexican origin.
If you wonder what is the origin of the name of this particular sauce, it seems that it is not very clear, that different versions are given. Some voices argue it is because the hot chili resembles the shape of a pico de gallo, others that it is because people ate it by pinching portions with two fingers, the index and thumb, which also take the same shape. But there is still more, some allude to the food of poultry, saying that this sauce carries the ingredients as minced as if they were going to be ‘chopped’ by a rooster, and many others explain that it is called pico de gallo because ‘it bites ‘ like roosters.
We usually make the pico de gallo sauce with serrano peppers, because we find them more easily, but we also make another version in which we do not put chili because they are going to eat children or people who do not like spicy. Then we put sweet green pepper, maintaining the presence of the traditional Mexican sauce, and for those who like it hot we add a little pickled jalapeño pepper, which we always have in the pantry.
It is an idea that may interest you, but if you have any other proposal to make a good pico de gallo sauce with the ingredients that we find in our market, it will always be well received. And if you feel like it, we will show you some recipes (Mexican or not) in which we incorporate this fresh sauce, it is so versatile that we will not find an end.
Ingredients
- 4 firm pear tomatoes
- ½ tender onion
- 1 fresh jalapeño or serrano pepper
- 1 lime
- 2-3 sprigs of coriander
- c / n of salt.
Elaboration
Peel the tomatoes and cut them in concassé, into cubes, you can detach from the seeds if you wish. Peel the tender onion and chop it in the same way. Next, wash the chili, cut it in half to remove the seeds and the peduncle, and finely chop it.
Put the three ingredients in a bowl and add salt to taste, the lime juice you want and the previously chopped coriander. Mix well and cover the container. Let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.
Finish and presentation
The pico de gallo sauce is ready to serve in the dishes you want, or to bring it to the table in a gravy boat and that each diner is served to their liking. If you have leftover, leave it in an airtight jar in the fridge for another time. Enjoy your meal!
Abbreviations
c / s = Soup spoon
c / p = Dessert spoon
c / c = Coffee spoon
c / n = Quantity needed