PICO DE GALLO

With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, this Pico de Gallo recipe is the one to hang on to if you’re planning a Mexican Fiesta. It is a fresh salad that is full of flavor and is very quick and easy to put together. Pico de Gallo can be enjoyed not just with corn chips on the side, but also as a topping for fish or steak, as well as a perfect addition for tacos and burritos.

Just like any other dish, there are many variations of this salad. Since I’m not a big expert of authentic Mexican food, I just put together veggies that we like, using the ingredients that I had on hand. You can of course add avocados, tomatillos, jalapeño or chili peppers if you’d like. There is even a Russian/Ukrainian version of this salad. The only difference is you cut everything into half-moons instead of chopping, and add fresh dill instead of cilantro. Ever since I started chopping veggies instead of cutting them into half-moons, the salad magically disappears within minutes, especially if there are corn chips near by. This is my daughter’s hand sneaking into Pico de Gallo while I’m trying to capture the last bits of it.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• juice of 1/2 lemon of 1 lime (usually its lime that is used to make Pico de Gallo, but I didn’t have it so I used lemon)
• salt, to taste
• 4 large tomatoes, diced
• jalapeños or chili peppers, chopped (for kid-friendly version, use pepperoncini with the hint of heat, but not overwhelming)
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Squeeze lemon or lime juice, marinate finely diced onion and minced garlic in it while you’re chopping the rest of your veggies.

When done chopping, bring everything together, and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning if needed.

It is best to refrigerate Pico de Gallo for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Well, it didn’t happen in my house.

Do any of you have any idea why this fresh salad is called “Pico de Gallo”? I looked it up and it translates as “Rooster’s beak”, wait what? Any thoughts?