Chunky Salsa Recipe (Pico de Gallo Salsa)
Pico de gallo or salsa fresca or salsa bandera, this Mexican salsa is the best chunky salsa recipe you can make and it goes great on everything! It’s only 6 ingredients and it’s traditionally a raw salsa recipe with a burst of flavor with incredibly tasting fresh ingredients.
Chunky Salsa with Many Names
This chunky salsa recipe is the most incredibly easy salsa you can make. It requires just 6 fresh ingredients and it’s ready in about 15 minutes – so you can start dipping your tortilla chips into it in no time!
It has many names that it’s known by, like pico de gallo or salsa fresca or salsa bandera.
Pico de gallo means rooster’s beak, and the theory is that because you pick at the salsa with triangle shaped chips that it resembles a chicken picking at it’s food.
Salsa fresca translates to fresh salsa and bandera means flag, and it’s because the salsa has the 3 colors of the Mexican flag.
This homemade chunky salsa recipe makes a delicious and light snack as well a great condiment for all your favorite Mexican dishes.
Why You’ll Love This Chunky Salsa
• It’s ready in 15 minutes!
• Requires just 6 pantry staple ingredients.
• You don’t need a blender, just a knife and cutting board so clean up is a cinch.
• Pico de gallo makes a great snack, dip, or condiment for nachos, tacos, burritos, rice bowls, grilled veggies and much more.
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients for this salsa are super simple and you may already have them in your refrigerator most of the time.
Fresh Tomatoes: Traditionally in Mexican cuisine Roma tomatoes are used.
White Onion: In a pinch you could substitute with red onion or yellow onion, though I’ve occasionally used green onions too.
Fresh Cilantro
Green Chile Pepper: You can use jalapeno for a milder salsa or Serrano pepper for a spicier touch. For an extra spicy taste use habaneros. For no heat at all use green bell pepper.
Fresh Lime Juice: In a pinch you can use fresh lemon juice, but do skip the lime juice concentrate for best flavor.
Salt
These are the traditional basic ingredients used, though there are some Americanized versions that also use spices like ground cumin and garlic clove.
Some may call for canned tomatoes but if you want the taste of restaurant style salsa then use only fresh ingredients.
What Are The Best Tomatoes for Pico de Gallo Salsa
The best and traditional tomatoes used in Mexican cuisine are roma tomatoes. Most often than not that’s what you’ll find listed on recipes.
To choose the best one for freshest salsa fresca you’ll need to keep a couple of things in mind.
- choose bright red roma tomatoes
- make sure they’re not too soft, they need to be between soft and firm
- pick roma tomatoes that are smooth and free of wrinkles or damage
How to Make Salsa Spicy or Mild
To control the heat you can do either of two things.
If you want a spicier salsa use serrano pepper with the seeds and membrane. If you want a little less heat then remove the seeds and membrane from the serranos.
For a milder salsa use jalapeño pepper. Again leave the seeds and membrane for more heat or remove them for less heat.
You can use as much or as little chile pepper as you’d like.
How to Make Chunky Salsa without a Blender
It’s really just a matter of chopping the ingredients, juicing the lime then mixing them all together before enjoying.
Step 1:
Chop the tomato, onion, chile, and cilantro. Slice the lime and have the salt ready.
Step 2:
Place the chopped ingredients in a medium bowl. Squeeze in or drizzle in the lime juice and sprinkle the salt over the ingredients. Mix until well combined.
Step 3:
Taste and adjust any ingredient that you’d like. Serve as desired or you can chill for 30 minutes before serving.
What if You Don’t Want to Manually Chop The Ingredients
If you want to save yourself a little time you could also use the food processor to chop up the vegetables. Just be careful not to over do it or you’ll end up with a different texture.
I’ve also seen some people use those vegetable chopper gadgets to chop the everything.
How to Serve Chunky Pico de Gallo Salsa
This salsa is amazing with a pile of corn chips. It makes a delicious and relatively healthy snack — just don’t eat too many chips!
This salsa makes a great topping for tacos, quesadillas, tortas and basically anything you want to put it on.
Sometimes I make a bowl of rice and beans and will top it with a little shredded cheese and plenty of pico de gallo for a fresh pop of flavors and textures.
How Long Does This Salsa Last
When working with fresh tomatoes you don’t have a super long shelf life before they begin to breakdown.
This salsa is best eaten within 2 or 3 days of making it. Make sure you store it in the refrigerator when not eating.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
8 More Homemade Salsa Recipes to Try
- Salsa Taquera
- Mango Pico de Gallo
- Roasted Jalapeno Salsa Verde Recipe
- The EASIEST Salsa Verde
- Molcajete Salsa
- Fiery Habaneros Toreados
- Tomato & Arbol Chile Salsa
- Charred Habanero-Garlic and Cilantro Salsa
Chunky Salsa Recipe
Ok amigos, below is the printable salsa recipe. As always please let me know you’ve made and enjoyed the salsa by leaving me a comment below. Gracias and enjoy!
How to Make Chunky Salsa (Pico de Gallo Salsa)
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large roma tomatoes chopped into small pieces
- ¼ cup white onion finely chopped
- 1 whole serrano chile stem removed and seeded if desired
- 1 small lime juiced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 large handfull chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Chop and prep all of the ingredients. Place everything in a small mixing bowl then stir until everything is well combined.
- Taste and adjust as desired.
- Serve with corn chips as a snack or as a topping for all of your favorite Mexican dishes.
Recipe Notes & Pro Tips
Nutrition
Ingredient Variations
Below are some helpful tips and variations to help you make a delicious salsa fresca in case you need alternatives.
- Alternative to Roma Tomatoes: If you can’t get this type of tomatoes you can use regular round ones. For an additional variation use cherry tomatoes for a different taste.
- Alternative to White Onion: You can use yellow or even red onion. They will give you slightly different taste, but it’s still yummy.
- When You Hate Cilantro: So sad for those out there who cilantro tastes like soap to…it’s genetics, I know. In this case you could try using fresh parsley.
- No Lime: In a pinch you can use yellow lemons. I’ve done it and it’s still delicious.
- Chile Peppers: It really is best to use fresh and raw green chiles like serranos or jalapeños.
- Cucumber Pico de Gallo: Here’s a super fresh spin on the traditional recipe, add juicy cucumber to the mix!
Nancy Lopez is a Mexican-born food writer and author of Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Raised in the U.S. and now living in Southern Mexico, she creates authentic vegan and vegetarian Mexican recipes rooted in tradition and tested for real home kitchens.Read more…
