I have some seriously great friends. After my recent string of pickle themed recipes (Dill Pickle Coleslaw, Dill Pickle Tartar Sauce), one of those great friends messaged me and said, “Hey, have you seen the Pickle de Gallo on TikTok?”
Now, I’m not exactly a big TikToker. Is that a word? TikToker? Well, I’ve never posted a single thing on TikTok, but I have been known to waste a few minutes laughing my head off over on the platform. Still, I hadn’t seen the video she was talking about, but pickle de gallo sounded AMAZING to me!
So I got to work.
The result is this fresh, tangy, pickley (here I go making up words again) pico de gallo that adds in crunchy dill pickles!
It’s great served just by itself on tortilla chips, but it’d be delicious on tacos, pulled pork sandwiches, grilled chicken, hot dogs, etc.
Every person I shared it with took one bite and had that “hmmm….” look on their faces, but by bite 3 they were big fans. I think it’s that “I know what pico de gallo is supposed to taste like” thing and then realizing it’s a “this doesn’t taste like that but it’s crazy delicious” thing. One taster raved over this version because she’s not a big fan of regular pico de gallo since she doesn’t really care for cilantro.
Let’s break this down a bit…
- Pickles: I tested this a few different ways and much preferred the fresher, refrigerated dill pickles for texture and flavor. If you can get those, do. If not, the regular, shelf stable jarred ones will work, too.
- Red Pepper: I opted for a red bell pepper. It’s going to be sweeter, but yellow, orange, or green will work, as well.
- Jalapeño: For this version, I like using a fresh jalapeño. I don’t like too much heat, so I removed the seeds and the inner white membrane. For more heat, you can leave them in. For even more pickle flavor, and to save a step, you can swap the fresh jalapeño for a couple tablespoons of jarred pickled jalapeños.
- Onion: Any onion will work, but I used a yellow onion.
- Tomato: There are a few pickle de gallo recipes out there and none of them, including the one on TikTok, called for tomatoes. I made it both ways and really prefer the tomato in this recipe, so I included it here. I just like to get all the seeds out before chopping it.
- Garlic: It’s a must for me, but you can leave it out. You’ll just want to finely mince it or put it through a garlic press to get it super fine.
- Pickle Brine: We need a little liquid to pull this all together and to help spread that garlic flavor to the other ingredients. A few tablespoons of the brine from your pickle jar works perfectly.
The key to making this recipe to get all your ingredients diced to a similar size.
Recipe Card
Pickle de Gallo
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced refrigerated dill pickles
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed, diced
- 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons pickle brine
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Stir together all ingredients and season with a healthy pinch of salt. Allow to rest in refrigerator for about 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Toss again before serving. Keeps for about 1 week.
This sounds great! With a summer surplus of onions, tomatoes, etc. I’d like to can some using the water boil method. Do you know the procedures we should follow to can that way? Thanks.
I’m afraid that’s outside of my realm of expertise. And being that it’d have to be cooked, I’m not sure the result would be the same.
Just saw your Pickle de Gallo recipe, Stacey, and it looks delicious to me! I’ll be trying it soon for sure!
Thanks so much, Patti! I hope you’ll enjoy it!
This was great! I made this to put on some brisket sandwiches. I did have to substitute a half of a green bell pepper, just because that’s what I had on hand. Will definitely make again.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!