There are usually two kids of salsa on the table, a red tomato salsa, and salsa verde – the green salsa. Salsa verde is most often milder than regular salsa. I am used to making fresh red salsa at home, but for some reason I have not tried salsa verde very often. It’s actually incredibly easy. Salsa verde is not made from green tomatoes; rather it is made from tomatillos, a relative of the tomato. Tomatillos are covered with a husk, which needs to be removed prior to cooking.
Underneath the papery husk, tomatillos can be a little sticky. Simply wash them in warm water to remove the stickiness. At this point, there are several different ways to make the salsa. In some recipes, the tomatillos are blended raw with the other ingredients. Other versions (such as this one) roast or boil the tomatillos. Roasting them in the oven imparts more flavor, but boiling is quicker and easier. Also note that the longer the tomatillos cook, the more yellowish in color they become.
In this recipe the tomatillos are boiled for about five minutes before being added to a food processor. The rest of the ingredients are placed in the food processor at this point as well. You can use jalapenos or Serrano peppers to add heat. Depending on how spicy you would like the salsa, keep or remove the chile seeds. Leaving in the seeds will result in a much spicier salsa.
Puree the ingredients and done! I actually find salsa verde easier to make than regular salsa since you don’t need to worry about all the chopping and dicing. Serve the salsa verde at room temperature or place in the refrigerator to chill. Add it as a condiment to any dish that could use a little extra zing.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. tomatillos, husked
- 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Serrano pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp salt
Directions
- Place the tomatillos in a saucepan and cover with water. Broil to a boil, then turn the heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Place the tomatillos and the remaining ingredients into a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust salt to taste. Add water if necessary to reach desired consistency. Place in the refrigerator to chill before serving.