Pico de gallo

This is a delicious, easy-to-make, low-cal salsa that you can have ready to use as a dip at a moment’s notice.

Served with tortilla chips, it’s incredibly morish.

This is a recipe from Ball.

Just 8 calories per 4 tablespoons.

The recipe

If you wish to double or triple the batch, do the math first on paper.

Jar size choices: Either quarter-litre (1/2 US pint / 250 ml / 8 oz) OR half-litre (1 US pint / 500 ml/ 16 oz)

Processing method: Either water-bath or steam canning

Yield: 4 x half-litre (US pint) jars

Headspace: 2 cm (1/2 inch)

Processing time: Either size jar 15 minutes

3.34 from 15 votes

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Pico de gallo

4 x half-litre jars (US pint) 

Course Salsa

Cuisine Mexican

Yield 4 x half-litre jars (US pint)

Calories 8 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 kg Roma tomatoes (2 lbs)
• 1 onion (medium)
• 1 jalapeno peppers (large)
• 2 tablespoons coriander (aka cilantro. Fresh, washed and chopped)
• 125 ml lime juice (bottled. 1/2 cup / 4 oz)
• 1 teaspoon salt ( OR non-bitter, non-clouding salt sub)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

1. Get a medium-sized sauce pot.
2. Wash, core, halve and seed the tomatoes. Chop finely. Add to pot.
3. Peel the onion, chop finely, add to pot.
4. Wash, stem, seed and chop the jalapeno finely, add to pot.
5. Add all remaining ingredients to pot.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer uncovered for 3 minutes.
8. Ladle sauce into heated jars, leaving 2 cm (1/2 inch) headspace.
9. Debubble, adjust headspace.
10. Wipe jar rims.
11. Put lids on.
12. Process in a water bath or steam canner.
13. Process jars for 15 minutes; increase time as needed for your altitude.

Reference information

How to water bath process.

How to steam can.

When water-bath canning or steam canning, you must adjust the processing time for your altitude.

For salt substitute, Herbamare Sodium-Free was used.

Recipe notes

• You can use a food processor to do the chopping, or do it by hand with your favourite good old-fashioned kitchen knife, or, you can pass these combined through a food mill with a salsa attachment in place.
• To be clear, you don’t peel the tomato. The super acidity here of all the lime juice takes care of any worry about the peel here.
• Don’t skip the seeding step. If you leave the seeds and the gel sac around them in, you will get a runnier salsa. Also the seeds may add a touch of bitterness to some people’s tastes.
• People often report getting only 3 jars instead of the 4 that Ball suggests you will, so just be mentally prepared for a lower yield.

Prepared salsa, ready to can

Recipe source

• Ball HarvestPro Sauce Maker Recipe Guide. 2016. Page 8.

Modifications:

• Added options for using a food processor or doing it manually; added option for salt sub.

Nutrition information

Regular version

Per 4 tablespoons

• 8 calories, 72 mg sodium

Salt-free version

Without the salt, or by using a salt sub, the sodium goes down to 1 mg sodium per 4 tablespoons of salsa

* Nutrition info provided by My Fitness Pal