Fresh Tomato Salsa is amazing in late summer when local tomatoes are showing up at markets and in stores. But even now in the spring, it brings a bit of brightness and a splash of summer. In Spanish, Pico de Gallo literally means beak of the rooster. Why do you think they might call salsa “the beak of the rooster”?
Yield: About 1 cup
Preparation Time: About 15 minutes
INGREDIENT LIST
- 4 small fresh tomatoes (such as Roma tomatoes)
- ¼ small onion
- A few sprigs cilantro, or to taste
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ tsp. (2mL) salt
- ½ lime, juiced
- Pinch chili flakes or dash hot sauce (optional)
EQUIPMENT LIST
- Cutting board
- Small sharp knife
- Medium-sized bowl
- Garlic press or micro-plane
- Measuring spoons
- Juicer or reamer
- Soup spoon
METHOD
- Wash the tomatoes. On a cutting board, cut the tomatoes in ½, from the core to the tip. Hold on to the tomato with your hand shaped like a claw to protect your fingers. Cut each half into 1 cm wide slices then cut the slices into small squares. Place in a small bowl.
- Cut the onion in half from the hairy root end to the tip then cut in half again. Remove the skin from 1/4 onion. (Wrap up and save the other onion pieces in the fridge for another use.) Cut 1/4 onion into 1 cm wide slices. Cut each slice into 1 cm wide strips. Add to the tomatoes.
- Pick the leaves off of the cilantro then tear the leaves, adding them to the tomatoes.
- Peel the skin from the garlic and press the clove through a garlic press or grate with a microplane. Add to the tomato mixture.
- Juice the ½ lime with a juicer or reamer and add to the tomato mixture.
- Add the salt to the mixture and mix together with a spoon.
- Let sit for about 15 minutes before eating. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Tasty Tip
- You can also add chili flakes or hot sauce to the salsa if you like things a little spicy .
SKILLS
STEP-BY-STEP – FRESH TOMATO SALSA!
STEP 1
Gather your ingredients and equipment.
STEP 2
Slice the tomatoes using your claw and saw for safety.
STEP 3
We used cherry tomatoes because they looked tasty. The main difference is that they are much juicier. We used our pointer finger and thumb to squeeze out some of the juice so the salsa wasn’t too runny. Then, we used a bench scraper, lovingly known as Fred in Project CHEF, to tidy the work space.
STEP 4
Grate the garlic. You can use a garlic press if you don’t have a microplane.
STEP 5
Slice and dice the onions, cilantro and jalapeno. Juice half of a lime.
STEP 6
Mix it all together and what do you have?
STEP 7
Delicious “beak of the rooster.” Don’t forget the salt.
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Not to be copied or reproduced without express permission from the author
