Guzman y Gomez is an Australian Mexican chain that leans on fresher, simpler food than most fast food, and I’ve spent more money there than I’d ever admit in writing.
A lot of what they make is easy to copy at home. The ingredients are right there in front of you, and as far as I can tell there’s nothing weird hiding in them. Their pico de gallo is the best example. It’s about as basic as a recipe gets.
GYG even lists the ingredients on their own site: fresh tomato, fresh Spanish onion, fresh coriander, lemon juice and salt. That’s it. No jalapeño, and they use lemon rather than the lime you’ll see in most traditional recipes (cheaper and juicier, I assume). One nice detail they’ve mentioned: they use Roma tomatoes, because they’ve got more flesh, fewer seeds and less water than a regular round tomato. That keeps the salsa from going soupy, and it’s worth copying.
The recipe below sticks close to the GYG version, with lemon. If you want the more traditional route, swap in lime and add a finely chopped jalapeño.
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes, seeds scooped out, diced small (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 small red (Spanish) onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup fresh coriander, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon (use lime if you want it more traditional)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
The thing people get wrong here is the ratio. Pico de gallo isn’t equal parts tomato and onion, no matter how often you see that repeated. You want roughly 4:1 tomato to onion. The tomato is the dish, the onion is there for bite and crunch. A full cup of raw onion against a cup of tomato will taste like an onion salad.
Dice the onion finer than the tomato so it disappears into the mix instead of bullying it. If raw red onion is too sharp for you, drop the diced onion in a sieve, rinse under cold water and pat it dry. Takes the harsh edge off without losing the crunch.
Method
- Scoop the seeds and watery pulp out of the tomatoes, then dice them small.
- Combine the tomato and onion in a bowl, keeping that 4:1 ratio.
- Add the chopped coriander and lemon juice.
- Season with salt and mix well. Taste, then adjust salt and lemon.
You can eat it straight away, and honestly that’s how I usually do it, crunchy and fresh. If you’d rather let the flavours settle, cover it and give it half an hour in the fridge.
Just know that resting it is a trade-off. The salt pulls water out of the tomatoes, so the longer it sits the wetter it gets. If you’re making it ahead, salt it lightly, let it sit, then tip off the liquid that pools at the bottom before serving. Leaving it overnight does deepen the flavour, but you’ll be draining a fair bit of juice by morning.
Turning it into guacamole
GYG folds this same pico de gallo through their guacamole, and you can do the same. Here’s a simple guac to build on:
- 3 ripe avocados
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 fresh jalapeño, seeds and veins removed, finely chopped (optional)
Halve the avocados, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt and jalapeño if you’re using it, then mash with a fork to whatever texture you like, chunky or smooth.
Gently fold a few spoonfuls of the pico de gallo through the guac. Taste, adjust the salt, and serve with chips. If you’re saving it for later, press a sheet of plastic wrap straight onto the surface so it doesn’t brown, then refrigerate.
Two of the easiest things you’ll ever make, and cheaper than a single GYG run.