While many types of green salsa feature cooked or roasted tomatillos, this one is a simple mixture of fresh ingredients that can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. But it’s not just the ease of preparation that makes this salsa great – I absolutely love the texture and refreshing flavor of the fresh tomatillos.
Beneath their thin, papery husks, tomatillos look much like small green tomatoes. But unlike their sweet and juicy cousins, tomatillos are mostly eaten while still firm and tart. Choose tomatillos that are small, firm, and bright green with fresh-looking husks. They can be stored on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Leave the husks on the fruit until ready to use. To prepare tomatillos, remove the husk and stem and rinse off the remaining sticky residue that coats the fruit.
Tomatillos form the base of many delicious Latin American sauces, but I think their bright flavor really shines in this simple salsa verde. If you’re new to using tomatillos this is a perfect place to start.
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
adapted from Mexican Everyday
serves four
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
2 serrano peppers or 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped*
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
heaping 1/2 teaspoon salt
squeeze of fresh lime juice**
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse to combine and get juices flowing. Blend on low speed until a coarse puree is formed. Pour into a dish, taste and add more salt or lime if desired. Salsa can be thinned with a bit of water if desired.
Recipe Notes: *This amount of chiles produces a medium-spicy salsa; if you’d like it milder, use only one serrano or half a jalapeño. If you want an extremely mild salsa (no heat), remove seeds from peppers. **The lime juice is entirely optional as the tomatillos will lend their own tartness to the salsa. I like lime with cilantro, so I always use a bit.
Related Recipes:
- Chili Garlic Chips
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
- Black Bean Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Chips
- Creamy Blue Cheese Dip with Lemon and Chives
- Deviled Eggs
Around the Web:
- Tomatillo Salsa with Roasted Green Chiles from Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole from Food Blogga
- Salsa Verde from Closet Cooking
- Roasted Tomatillo Salsa from Inspired Taste
- Tomatillo Salsa from My Colombian Recipes
mmmm!!! my FAVORITE! and pretty much exactly how i make mine too. so simple and SOOOOO delicious!
9:49 am May 12th, 2010I’ve been wanting to purchase that cookbook – how do you like it?
10:04 am May 12th, 2010I am in love with green salsa and haven’t found the perfect version yet – I can’t wait to give this one a try!
10:09 am May 12th, 2010I’ve never seed tomatillos at my grocery store. Where can you find them?
10:17 am May 12th, 2010Hurrah! A salsa verde recipe that does not roast the tomatillos. I love all forms of the stuff, but I really adore the tang and bite of the fresh tomatillos. Beautiful picture, too.
10:22 am May 12th, 2010Green salsa is my favorite! I will definitely be trying this at home…for chips, tacos and to put over breakfast eggs and papas(potatoes). yum!
1:36 pm May 12th, 2010great photos ! I want to try this ….
2:07 pm May 12th, 2010This tastes like summer on a chip to me!
2:58 pm May 12th, 2010Ohhhhh, does that look good! I sure hope I’ll remember this recipe come August, which is the only time I see tomatillos.
3:38 pm May 12th, 2010I was curious what wordless wednesday was going to be today….
Where did you get the rustic table? or is that a prop for photos?
5:11 pm May 12th, 2010I just started subscribing to your blog and I love it! Your pictures are beautiful. I just made your Red Velvet Cake yesterday and it’s gorgeous!
3:15 am May 13th, 2010I’ve been wavering about whether to plant tomatillos in the garden again this year (the plants get huge and produce madly, and you have to have 2 plants for them to set any fruit.) I think this has convinced me though!
6:04 am May 13th, 2010I think that I see a verde sauce in my future. Thanks for the easy recipe.
9:03 am May 13th, 2010I’ve been wavering about whether to plant tomatillos in the garden again this year (the plants get huge and produce madly, and you have to have 2 plants for them to set any fruit.) I think this has convinced me though!
2:20 pm May 13th, 2010+1
wish I was still close enough to benefit from your cooking…..I would sure love to taste test that salsa!
2:45 pm May 13th, 2010Oooh, with this I can feel summer coming! I also love Mexican Everyday – one of my favorite cookbooks.
3:01 pm May 13th, 2010Been following your site for a while now, and this is an awesome recipe! I’ve made salsa like this before, both for chips and to make chicken tomatillo stew. I love tomatillos!
6:36 pm May 13th, 2010This looks wonderful! I love tomatillo salsa, so I’ll have to give it a try very soon!
7:16 am May 14th, 2010[...] love tomatillo salsa, so I’ll definitely be giving this Fresh Tomatillo Salsa from Pinch My Salt a try very soon. In fact, I’m due for some new homemade Chipotle recipes, and I think this [...]
10:01 am May 14th, 2010I have always wanted to make tomatillo salsa, this looks like a great recipe to start with! Thanks! Love your blog and the pictures you take!
7:54 pm May 14th, 2010My son who is 21 loves to cook.. he loves to cook things that are not in my culinary world LOL. he has coaxed me to try many new things and this was no exception. So, today he us lunch, burritos to be exact with this tomatillo sauce . I must say very very good.. Very fresh tasting. Thanks for the great recipe
12:15 pm May 16th, 2010the flavour sounds inspiring.
10:06 am May 17th, 2010i make a similar green salsa, but i add a chopped avocado. it makes it very good and just a bit thcker.
10:54 am May 17th, 2010That looks yummy….Look forward to making it soon!
7:50 am May 18th, 2010Made this this morning and it’s out-of-this-world DELICIOUS! It’s my first time working with tomatillos and I’m tickled pink.
6:44 am May 29th, 2010Now I posted the recipe—so, so yummy. Thanks!
7:18 am Jun 10th, 2010[...] Fresh Tomatillo Salsa [...]
2:51 am Jun 22nd, 2010