I’m sure a lot of people who read this blog already have their own favorite pico de gallo recipes, but I’m here to remind you that it’s that time of year — time to mix those tomatoes, onions, and peppers together and feast on the splendor!

But why is it called pico de gallo? As I thought about making this post, I wondered why rooster, or “gallo”, was in the name of this salsa. Googling it results in a number of possible explanations — perhaps it is because the chopped red of the tomatoes looks like a rooster’s beak (pico can mean “beak” or “spicy”), or maybe it’s because your tongue feels intense like a rooster pecked on it if you’re eating a spicy version, or maybe the way that farmers pick the ingredients with thumb and forefinger resembles a rooster pecking. Regardless of why the name was chosen, this is a classic summer dish, and this is the best time of year to make it!

Here’s the recipe that I used today:

Pico de Gallo
-6 homegrown tomatoes
-2 (fairly giant) cloves of garlic
-a green bell pepper
-a small-medium size yellow onion
-lemon juice
-and you’ll probably want to add cilantro, although I didn’t have any today and it was still delicious!
-(many people also add hot pepper or chile, although I opted for a mild version this time)

Mixing tomatoes, onion, and green pepper..

And we also picked up some corn at the farmers’ market yesterday — why not add that, too?

Corn makes a splendid addition!

The result? A delicious side dish with dinner! And everything but the lemon juice was local and fresh from yesterday’s farmers’ market!

Pico de gallo

What’s your favorite pico de gallo recipe?