[jyl]

Medium diced tomato, 2 parts. As good a tomato as you can get. Cherry, roma, beefsteak, whatever. Use a sharp knife, crushed tomato is no good. Unless you have the world's best and sharpest food processor, you want to do this by hand.

Diced onion, 1 part. I like red onions.

Finely minced garlic, 1/8 part. Minced and not crushed, the texture is important.

Finely minced jalapeņo pepper, 1/8 part. Not the seeds! Or similar not crazy hot pepper. If you like heat, you can use more.

Other diced stuff that strikes your fancy and/or adds color. Green bell pepper, corn, etc. But not more than 1/4 part.

Salt and pepper. Red pepper flake. Cayenne powder. To taste, you can adjust later so don't go overboard at first.

Put in a ziplock bag or other tight sealing container.

Add enough lime juice to marinate. For 1 cup of everything else, you'll want 1 lime. Some lemon juice is okay but mostly lime please.

Marinate in refrigerator for several hours, 1-2 days is better.

This is basic and good salsa fresca, that won't be too hot for most people, and that you can tart up as desired.

I often add a touch of vinegar (controversial), some cilantro or parsley if it's around, plenty of lime zest.