The first time I had tomatillos, I was halfway through my twenties (so if you’re not a regular when it comes to this particular type of produce, know you’re not alone). My Midwestern upbringing brought me well into adulthood with nary an avocado, celeriac, or green tomatillo ever crossing my path.
Then, in 2009, when I was new to food writing, trying a CSA because another blogger had suggested I should, one particular haul was especially memorable. The cardboard box half-share I carried back to my car from a pickup spot held tomatoes, leaf lettuce, green onions, and two different kinds of tomatillos.
“Tomatoes in shells!” I remember thinking. “How strange…”
At first glance, these firm orbs with their bright green bodies wrapped in thin, papery husks could seem a bother. Unlike regular tomatoes, they require an extra step of peeling away paper and washing away sticky residue before use. In America, they’re not as ubiquitous as regular tomatoes.
In Mexico, they’re the far more popular choice.
For this recipe, all you need is tomatillos, a serrano or jalapeno pepper (or two), a lemon or lime, a clove of garlic, some cilantro, an onion, and some salt. It’s fast, customizable to your heat preferences, and so good with a bag of tortilla chips.
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Traditional Salsa Verde
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Description
A quick and easy way to make a tasty, tangy, and traditional salsa verde. Roasted tomatillos and a few other ingredients are blended together and ready to serve.
Ingredients
- 5 tomatillos, husked and rinsed (a little more than ½ lb)
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped white onion
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- Place tomatillos on a rimmed baking sheet and place under the broiler set to high. Broil until they are blackened in places, approximately 5 minutes. Flip tomatillos and broil for another 5 minutes.
- Add tomatillos and remaining salsa ingredients to a food processor or blender. Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth. Season with additional salt to taste.
- Refrigerate salsa until ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Salsa
- Method: Broil, Blend
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keywords: Salsa verde, dip, tomatillo
Step 1 – Roast
Place the tomatillos on a rimmed baking sheet, lined with a nonstick silicone Silpat if you like. Broil on high for 5 minutes, until they begin to blister and blacken.
Flip them over and broil again for 5 minutes, until the other side is blistered and blackened as well.
Step 2 – Make Salsa
Add the tomatillos and remaining ingredients for the roasted salsa to a food processor or high-power blender.
Pulse the mixture until it’s mostly smooth.
Step 3 – Chill and Serve
Season with salt as needed. Set in the refrigerator to chill until ready to serve.
What about you? Are you cooking a dish with this recipe or do you just love it with tortilla chips? Let us know in the comments below and please rate this recipe if you’ve made it.
Here are some of our own saucy suggestions:
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Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on August 8, 2016. Last updated: June 24, 2020 at 19:59 pm. With additional writing by Meghan Yager.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Shanna Mallon
Shanna Mallon is a freelance writer who holds an MA in writing from DePaul University. Her work has been featured in a variety of media outlets, including The Kitchn, Better Homes & Gardens, Taste of Home, Houzz.com, Foodista, Entrepreneur, and Ragan PR. In 2014, she co-authored The Einkorn Cookbook with her husband, Tim. Today, you can find her digging into food topics and celebrating the everyday grace of eating on her blog, Go Eat Your Bread with Joy. Shanna lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with Tim and their two small kids.
