Pico De Gallo

We absolutely love cilantro and lime in my house. Paired together with some tomatoes and onions, and that's my idea of the perfect dip, or salsa!

I don't know if this is traditional Pico de Gallo, or if it's just my take- but this is how I make my salsa for tacos, nachos, as a dip for chips when people come over, etc., etc. I made this many times after having it at Mexican restaurants, but never thought to use lime juice rather than a red wine vinegar or white vinegar for a while (which is kind of embarrassing!).

Here's how I make it- I'll do it step by step rather than a written out recipe at the end, because it's super easy.

So I start (depending on how much I need/how many people will be eating) with:

5 plum tomatoes, or honestly- whatever's cheapest/in season/looks the best at the store

1 giant box of cilantro- half went in the meat, and half went in the salsa (I forget how many ounces it was, but I found it at Stop & Shop.)

1 red onion

1 clove of garlic

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

2-3 tbsp. lime juice (typically I use fresh limes, but none looked any good when I was at the store, so I had to use the bottled stuff unfortunately)

salt & pepper

Then I chop up the tomatoes, onion, and press the garlic through a garlic press--chill out! It's one clove, you barely notice the spice, and if you live in the NorthEast like me, it helps keep the ticks away!

So anyway, here's an idea of how much cilantro I use, and how I layer it:

Then, top it with salt, pepper, oil, and lime juice, and mix it all up.

You can let it marinate for 5-10 minutes, or serve right away. Keep in mind that the salt WILL draw liquid from the tomatoes, so the longer it sits, the more juice will form at the bottom of the bowl. It's a good idea to mix this every so often, too.

Enjoy!