My New Favorite Obsession: Salsa Verde!

As usual, it all began when my wife Alex asked me to make some “Salsa Verde”….which I had never done…so what is it?

Mexican salsa verde is a vibrant, tangy green sauce made from roasted or boiled tomatillos, green chiles (jalapeño or serrano), cilantro, onions, and garlic. It is widely used for chilaquiles, enchiladas, tacos, and with chips, offering a zesty alternative to red salsa. Popular methods include broiling vegetables for a smoky flavor or boiling them for a brighter taste…

Well, I was going to do my best to please her, so let’s make some together!

Here are the Ingredients – note that when you want a green salsa, it helps when virtually ALL of the ingredients are bright green!

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (about 12 medium) – I never cook with these baby green tomatoes that you buy wrapped in a leafy covering – kind of fun to peel, they are fuzzy and the green tomatillo inside is a bit sticky! Check it out:

Back to the ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped white onion

2 cloves (or more) garlic, optional

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

8 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped – you can use whole for more heat if you want – and that is what I did!

Salt to taste

Preheat the broiler, and set the rack about 6 inches from the heating element.

I roasted the peppers first and again, I did it whole with the seeds still inside, just the stems removed:

As you can see I added a few garlic cloves as well…I didn’t over roast these as I wasn’t sure how much of that smoky flavor I wanted…and I also roasted them whole, which I read would make it spicier…next up, time to prep the tomatillos:

Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Add a few garlic cloves in their skin (if using). Place under a broiler for about 5 to 7 minutes to lightly blacken the skins of the tomatillos.

Here’s how easy it was:

Hmmm….Too Light A Touch?

As you can see, I lightly roasted the tomatillos…we’ll see how that plays out.

Place the cooked tomatillos, lime juice, onions, garlic, cilantro, and Serrano peppers in a blender and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.

Here’s how easy that was:

Verdict?

Well, I LOVE the bright green color, and it was zesty and JUST spicy enough for me…should I have roasted the tomatillos and peppers for more smokiness?

YES!

Still, it tasted great with chips, and I also served it alongside this baked chicken thighs with lemon dish:

This was easy…baked the thighs after salt and pepper treatment, with some slice fresh lemon on top…I added some chicken stock so they wouldn’t stick…

30 minutes later they were done and the salsa verde was delicious on them as well!

So that was my first attempt at Salsa Verde and yes, I should have roasted the tomatillos and peppers more…I had fire due to the spice but no “smoke!”

Still it tasted good but that added element would have made it even better! Like this!

Thanks A.I.! This added color, plus some red onion, would have given it a better more intense flavor…next time I promise!

I could have used this bright and spicy salsa verde on these:

These steak tacos had corn, cilantro and sour cream…see how I made them here:

I love to make all kinds of tacos, like this one:

I love fish tacos and salsa verde would be perfect for these – I made them at home – see the recipe here:

And how about some dessert tacos too?

Yes, those are chocolate tacos with strawberries, and you can see the entire recipes here!

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