Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (Salsa Verde)
There are two kinds of salsa verde recipes: raw tomatillo salsas, which are bright green, a bit slushy, and more herbaceous in flavor, and roasted tomatillo salsas which while less verdant in color, have a rich, sweet-sour flavor from the additional step of roasting. This recipe is a classic roasted tomatillo salsa verde, but you can easily alter it to your own personal preferences. I like to brighten up the flavor of my salsa with a splash of fresh lime juice and a bit of extra cilantro. For a milder salsa, seed the roasted chile(s) before adding to the blender. For a smoother salsa, blend the onion along with the other ingredients. This recipe makes about 1 cup of salsa.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (3 to 4 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- Fresh hot green chiles to taste (1 or 2 serranos or 1 jalapeño), stemmed
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 6 sprigs of fresh cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- Salt
Method:
Roast the tomatillos, chile(s) and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, until blotchy black and softening (they’ll be turning from lime green to olive), about 5 minutes. Flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, then transfer everything to a blender (including the juice from the roasted tomatillos). Add the cilantro and 1/4 cup water, then blend to a coarse puree. Scoop into a serving dish. Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt, usually 1/2 teaspoon.
*Note: For a smoother salsa, blend all ingredients together until you reach the desired consistency.