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    Home » Sides

    Salsa Fresca or Pico de Gallo

    Published: Jan 6, 2018 · Modified: Aug 8, 2023 by Vaishali · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

    How is it fall already? I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that we are in the last quarter of this year. Though with each passing year, as the kids are growing up and their routines become more demanding, it seems like that time is going by even faster. With this year starting with a new job for me and Mr. little V starting his preschool, our lazy days of lounging around all day, reading books, story time at the library, going for walks in the park picking wildflowers, and other pleasures of mom and son time were over. These are the simple pleasures of life that we take for granted till we lose them. As much as I miss spending a lot of time with Mr. little V, I think this change has been good for both of us. He is a cuddler (is that even a word?) and is not shy of giving hugs, kisses and lots of I love yous. I love this little guy to pieces.

    Anyhow, talking about fall…what is another tomato recipe doing here? Well friends, our garden Just.Wont.Stop making tomatoes. While my in laws were visiting us for past few weeks, my father in law would tour our raised bed and without fail would predict how many more days of tomatoes we have left. All I can is that all his predictions are gone down the drain and all bets are off. So I hope this is my last tomato post of the season. Hang in there with me please.

    Pico de gallo is a fresh salsa of sorts (hence Salsa Fresca), made with fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro and lime juice. This salsa is a burst of freshness for any heavy, cheesy dish and is a great addition to any of your fiesta menu when garden ripe tomatoes are in season. It is also a perfect companion to guacamole (recipe here) if you are serving it with chips. Tomatoes are not the only star in this dish, all the ingredients play an important part in this salsa coming together as a whole.

    Ingredients:

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    2 cups tomatoes – chopped (choose cherry, grape or 2 big vine ripe tomatoes)

    Red onion – ½ small, finely diced

    Cilantro – 6-7 sprigs

    Green chili – 2, minced (your choice of spice level – jalapeno, serrano, Thai or cayenne)

    Lime juice – from ½ lime

    Cumin powder – ¼ teaspoon

    Salt – to taste

    Method:

    Place all of these ingredients together in a big bowl and give it a good stir. Give it a taste check and adjust salt and/or lime juice.

    Few points to keep in mind:

    You can leave seeds in your green chilies for a hotter PdG, adjusting the amount of chilies to your preferred spice level.

    Remove the leaves from cilantro sprigs and discard the stems before chopping.

    Don’t skip the cumin powder. Trust me.

    Enjoy!

    Love – Vaishali.

    Tools used:

    Knife and chopping board

    Mixing bowl

    Measuring cups and spoons

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jen @ Jenron Designs

      July 10, 2018 at 9:13 am

      So fresh and perfect for this time of year as my crop of tomatoes are all ready for harvest. I so many I need great tomato recipes for them all. Do you know if this will freeze for later use?

      Reply
    2. Athena

      July 10, 2018 at 12:13 am

      Great recipe! Pico De Gallo is so yummy and easy to make in large batches for the family. You can seriously put it on anything too which is lovely.

      Reply
    3. Karla

      July 09, 2018 at 10:59 pm

      Wow! This looks delicious! I wanna make some today! Great dish!

      Reply
    4. Nicole

      July 09, 2018 at 2:40 pm

      Pico de Gallo is one of my favourite things to eat. I'm not a big fan of cooked tomatoes, so I use it wherever traditional salsa is called for. My latest discovery is to use Pico de Gallo on eggs benedict instead of hollandaise sauce! Can't wait to try your version - I've never put Cumin in before.

      Reply
    5. Lauren

      July 09, 2018 at 12:17 pm

      These looks delicious and light for summer! I look forward to making this!

      Reply

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