I've been craving Mexican food as of late. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have been with my hubby for over five years and Italian food outnumbers anything else we eat. That, or the fact that Mexican food, prepared right, is actually quite healthy and flavorful. Either way, I have been preparing my own Salsa Mexicana (as I grew-up calling it), or Pico de Gallo. My version is prepared the way my family taught me, which is focused on mixing the ingredients at the right time to let the flavors marinate.
This version, which I claim to being the original way to prepare salsa Mexicana (Pico de Gallo or Salsa Fresca or Salsa Bandera), should be enjoyed within minutes the same day it's prepared; which is when the flavors are at their peak.
PICO DE GALLO / SALSA MEXICANA:Ingredients to prepare pico de gallo or salsa Mexicana or salsa fresca or salsa bandera
- 2 Roma tomatoes or one large tomato
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper or 1 serrano pepper (serrano is the spicier of the two)
- 2 Mexican limes
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
- Mexican or sea salt (to taste)
- Pinch of sugar
- Cut the white onion into small squares and put into a round/bowl-like dish.
- Juice the limes over the onion and toss to coat the onion with the lime juice. (the reason you start with the onion, is that by the time you chop everything else, the onion has a milder flavor because of the few minutes of it marinating with the lime juice)
- Chop the jalapeno or serrano pepper and fold into the onion and lime juice mixture.
- Chop the tomatoes and gently fold into the onion and pepper mixture.
- Chop the cilantro as fine as possible and add to the tomato, onion and pepper mixture.
- Add salt and a pinch of sugar together with the cilantro.
- Fold all ingredients as gently as possibly without smashing the tomatoes.
- Set aside for a few minutes either at room temperature or covered in the refrigerator.
- The salsa should be enjoyed within minutes of it being prepared, at most 30 minutes.
