If you love salsa made with fresh tomatoes, then you must try my salsa fresca! Salsa fresca is the same as pico de gallo which uses fresh chopped tomatoes, onion, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro. Most pico de gallo recipes include Serrano peppers as well.
Why this recipe works
I’ve been making this salsa fresca for over 25 years. I first tried it in the late nineties. A friend gave me a rough list of ingredients and I’ve been making it ever since.
This recipe does not include a bunch of complicated and hard to find products. Only 10 ingredients and 15 minutes will yield the best pico de gallo ever.
Related – try my salsa verde (green salsa) too!
Ingredients you will need
Sometimes I can’t find Serrano peppers at my grocer, so I have often substituted with red pepper flakes. Over the years I’ve simply switched to the flakes.
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
How to Make Salsa Fresca
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. Please scroll down to simply print out the recipe!
- Chop tomatoes and slice scallions.
- Trim leaves from cilantro and mince.
- Mince garlic.
- Place these ingredients into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle in cumin, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the lime juice.
- Stir everything together.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- When choosing fresh tomatoes they should be ripe yet firm. If they are too soft, they’ll break down in the salsa, appearing mushy. Look for nice red tomatoes and give them a gentle squeeze. They should be firm to the touch but have just a little give. You don’t want hard tomatoes.
- I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard to cut my tomatoes. You get uniform pieces and it’s a lot easier than using a knife.
- Rinse your fresh cilantro under the tap then pat it dry with some paper towels. Remove the leaves from the stems. You don’t want to include the stems in your salsa. I use herb scissors to cut my cilantro, they are one of the best kitchen tools I have!
- I only use scallions in my salsa fresca. I have used yellow, white and red onions before and green onions are just my favorite for this recipe. Cut the end of the bulb off and slice the scallion thin all the way up to about halfway through the green ends.
- I use just a pinch of red pepper flakes and I don’t use Serrano pepper. This seems to be the most pleasing to a variety of people. The amount of heat is completely up to you. Simply taste test and adjust to your liking. If you prefer to use Serrano, leave out the flakes and start with a teaspoon of minced Serrano, adding more to your taste.
- Just remember that if you use fresh peppers such as Jalapeno or Serrano, if you leave the pith in, that’s where all the heat is. It’s a common mistake to think that just removing the seeds takes away the heat. In fact, the seeds don’t contribute to the heat at all, it’s that white tissue known as the pith that packs the punch.
- Always zest limes before juicing them. Place the zest in a plastic sandwich bag, squeeze all the air out, then seal and put in the freezer. You can use it when you make my Coconut Rum Mojitos!
I hope you love this salsa fresca as much as we do. Every single time I bring it to a get-together or backyard barbecue people ask me for the recipe. It’s a family favorite!
More Fun Summer Ideas
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Strawberry Salsa
- Pineapple Salsa
- Mango Salsa
- Cowboy Caviar
- Salsa Verde (Green Salsa)
- Corn Salsa
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Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo)
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 3 cups tomatoes 20 ounces total, 3 cups chopped or 1.25 pounds
- 4 tbsp green onion 2 scallions, sliced
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- â…› tsp black pepper fresh ground
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp lime juice
Before You Begin
- When choosing fresh tomatoes they should be ripe yet firm. If they are too soft, they’ll break down in the salsa, appearing mushy. Look for nice red tomatoes and give them a gentle squeeze. They should be firm to the touch but have just a little give. You don’t want hard tomatoes.
- I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard to cut my tomatoes. You get uniform pieces and it’s a lot easier than using a knife.
- Rinse your fresh cilantro under the tap then pat it dry with some paper towels. Remove the leaves from the stems. You don’t want to include the stems in your salsa. I use herb scissors to cut my cilantro, they are one of the best kitchen tools I have!
- I only use scallions in my salsa fresca. I have used yellow, white and red onions before and green onions are just my favorite for this recipe. Cut the end of the bulb off and slice the scallion thin all the way up to about halfway through the green ends.
- I use just a pinch of red pepper flakes and I don’t use Serrano pepper. This seems to be the most pleasing to a variety of people. The amount of heat is completely up to you. Simply taste test and adjust to your liking. If you prefer to use Serrano, leave out the flakes and start with a teaspoon of minced Serrano, adding more to your taste.
- Just remember that if you use fresh peppers such as Jalapeno or Serrano, if you leave the pith in, that’s where all the heat is. It’s a common mistake to think that just removing the seeds takes away the heat. In fact, the seeds don’t contribute to the heat at all, it’s that white tissue known as the pith that packs the punch.
- Always zest limes before juicing them. Place the zest in a plastic sandwich bag, squeeze all the air out, then seal and put in the freezer. You can use it when you make my Coconut Rum Mojitos!
Instructions
- Chop tomatoes and slice scallions and place in a large bowl.
- Trim leaves from cilantro and mince.
- Mince the garlic. Add cilantro and garlic to the bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Nutrition
This post originally appeared here on Jun 29, 2018 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips.
Amanda Davis
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Kristen says
Best salsa recipe ever!!
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you!! <3