Quick Green Tomatillo Salsa
I make this tangy, versatile tomatillo salsa to accompany a range of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. It’s always great with shrimp and fish, and it’s my go-to salsa for tacos with chicken in the filling, and with vegetables like potatoes and greens, summer squash and corn. I roast the tomatillos under the broiler before blending them to get a deep, toasty flavor. You can also roast the chiles if you want a deeper roasted-spicy flavor, as opposed to grassy-spicy flavor. If you wish to roast the chiles alongside the tomatillos, place the whole chiles on the baking sheet, too; they will be done faster than the tomatillos, only a minute or two on each side. Once they're cool enough to handle, peel and stem them, and coarsely chop, then proceed with the recipe.
- Total:
- Serves: 2 persons
Ingredients
- 1pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 2to 4 jalapeño or serrano chiles, to taste, coarsely chopped (and seeded, if you would like a milder salsa)
- ¼cup chopped white or yellow onion, soaked for 5 minutes in cold water, drained and rinsed
- 1garlic clove, peeled and halved (optional)
- ½cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Step 1
Heat broiler, positioning a rack at the highest setting under the heat. Cover a baking sheet with foil and place tomatillos on top, stem side down. Broil 2 to 5 minutes, until charred on one side. Turn tomatillos over and broil 2 to 5 minutes longer, until charred. Transfer tomatillos to a blender, tipping in any juice that may have accumulated on the foil.Step 2
Add chiles, onions, garlic (if using), cilantro and 1/4 cup water to blender and blend to a coarse purée. Transfer to a bowl and thin out as desired with water. Taste and adjust salt. Set aside for at least 30 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to develop.