Pico de gallo

Pico de gallo is a name used for two different fresh Mexican preparations: in much of Mexico and abroad, a raw chopped salsa of tomato, onion, green chile and cilantro, and in many regions a chile-dusted salad of fruit or vegetables.

Chopped tomato salsa

The raw chopped tomato sauce that many people call pico de gallo is listed by Larousse as salsa mexicana: tomato, onion, green chile and cilantro chopped fine and seasoned with salt and sometimes lime. Serrano is the usual chile, sometimes replaced by jalapeño. The dictionary links the name salsa mexicana to the green, white and red of the national flag and notes that it is common across central Mexico and served with dishes such as grilled clams, molletes, carne a la tampiqueña and charcoal-grilled chicken. In Zacatecas the raw salsa itself is called pico de gallo.

Fruit pico de gallo

Larousse's own entry for pico de gallo describes something closer to a fruit salad, eaten as a snack, starter or garnish. In Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo it combines jícama and orange with sour orange juice, cilantro and ground chile; in the north it is orange with lime, onion and serrano; in Jalisco a mix of jícama, cucumber, pineapple, orange, mango and xoconostle with lime and chile; in Oaxaca grapefruit with a pasilla sauce, eaten with mezcal. Guanajuato has many versions with xoconostle, and Tabasco's orange version is called sarampico. It is often eaten with beer or tequila.

Recipe

Reviews

See also

• Salsa roja
• Serrano
• Cilantro
• White onion
• Guacamole

References

1. "Salsa mexicana". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
2. "Pico de gallo". Larousse Cocina (Diccionario enciclopédico de la Gastronomía Mexicana). Retrieved 2026-10-10.