Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo. (not my photo)

Do a search for Pico de Gallo and it's likely you'll run across a lot of different recipes for this traditional Mexican condiment.  Many of them claim to be "authentic".  I don't care for the term "authentic" as it relates to food.  In my experience it often means the author has had a dish someone prepared in a way that didn't match up to their expectation.  I fully acknowledge the heritage of this condiment has Mexican roots... but what part of Mexico?  It's a diverse place and a cuisine with a HUGE range of preparations and ingredients.

A few weeks ago I was involved in the assembly of a casual backyard party and thought Pico de Gallo would be an easy side to serve with chips.  Like many people I felt I didn't have the time to pull something together from scratch.  Hoo boy was that a mistake!  I bought a tub from the deli section of my supermarket.  It had absolutely no flavor.  There is no reason on earth to rely on anything but your own taste buds and some fresh ingredients to made this easy condiment.  I like it on chips, grilled fish, and especially shrimp tacos!

Once consistent complaint I have on commercially available versions of this is they use WAY too much tomato and not enough onion and other goodies.  This is a simple dish using simple ingredients and takes about 10 minutes start to finish.  Below are a few tips, observations, and suggestions to get the most flavor possible.

Ingredients:

2 medium whole tomatoes (seeded and chopped fine)
1 medium red onion (chopped fine)
1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and minced, or 2 serrano)
2 cloves garlic (smashed to a paste)
1 tsp olive oil 
1 lime (zest AND juice)
6 sprigs cilantro (leaves and stems minced)
to taste:
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper

Method:

1.  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit refrigerated for at least an hour or overnight.

Tips:

Use the best tomatoes you can afford.  I'm writing this in peak tomato season and my local farmers market is fantastic.  Many of the vendors have samples of their tomatoes cut up for tasting.  Today I opted for medium sized round beefsteaks on the vine.  The heirloom varieties were sweeter, but also much more expensive.  Off season, I would likely choose Romas.  Take the time to seed them.  The seeds and membranes can be bitter.

My first choice of onion is red.  They have a great bite and the added bonus of their purple color.  White would be my 2nd choice.  Yellow onions are fantastic too, but I prefer the bite of a red or white onion.  I like a ratio of about 1.5:2 tomato to onion by volume.

Peppers: In my research I found some recipes use jalapeno while some used serrano peppers. I have a high heat tolerance so if I were making this just for me I'd go with serranos.  If you are making for a mixed crowd consider opting for the milder jalapeno.

Garlic: I can't stand bottled minced garlic and always choose fresh for this.  It takes very little time to mince a clove of garlic and the flavor difference is huge.  Drizzle a little olive oil on the minced garlic and then using the side of a chefs knife scrape and flatten it into a paste.  I lean toward a variety that has a solid "stem" inside with a slight purple cast. 

Limes: Limes we get in North America often don't have intense flavor in the juice.  This is why I ALWAYS use the zest too.  The rind of the lime contains flavorful oils that adds a bold lime flavor to the mixture.

Salt: I know many people try to limit their salt, but it performs another function besides seasoning.  It helps draw the liquids out of all the other ingredients.  It's important!  Don't skip it.  You don't need much.  Start with a pinch and then adjust the seasoning right before service.

Cilantro:  Many in the culinary world may wince at using the stems.  In this dish I don't mind them.  If the stems are cut finely it adds an earthy tone to the floral finish of this herb.  Many people despise cilantro but without it Pico de Gallo seems flat.