Slightly sweet with a hint of smoke, this charred tomatillo salsa verde is rich, flavorful, and made in just 15 minutes! You can even customize it to your liking, and prepare it in advance.
Why you’ll love this tomatillo salsa verde
The next time you’re at the grocery store, don’t pass by those odd-looking, tomato-like fruits with a husk, otherwise known as tomatillos. Instead, grab a few, and make this summery tomatillo salsa verde recipe!
Tomatillo salsa verde pairs beautifully with chips and a frozen pineapple margarita and is the perfect side for cheesy chicken quesadillas.
- Flavor – Sweet and smoky tomatillos meet slightly spicy peppers and aromatic cilantro and red onion.
- Ease – After 10 minutes under the broiler, everything goes into the food processor for a quick blitz. It’s truly that simple to make!
- Customizable – This recipe is quite forgiving. So, feel free to adjust the seasonings and spice to your taste.
It only took me one recipe test to become obsessed with green salsa. It was love at first bite, and once I started dipping my favorite tortilla chips, I couldn’t stop! My only regret is that I didn’t try tomatillos sooner!
Key Ingredient Notes:
- Olive oil – This is drizzled onto the tomatillos and peppers to help their skin brown and blister more quickly.
- Tomatillos – Look for firm, bright green tomatillos with papery, fresh-looking husks. You’ll have the best luck in late summer and early fall when tomatillos are in season.
- Anaheim or Poblano peppers – You can pick one, or use a combination of both. The heat level can vary for both peppers, but Anaheim peppers are generally milder than Poblanos.
- Jalapeño peppers – Remove the seeds for a less spicy option.
- Garlic and onion – For savory flavors and aroma.
- Cilantro – Adds fresh, bright flavors that help balance out some of the heat. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to substitute it with flat-leaf parsley.
- Lime juice – For a touch of zesty, citrusy flavor.
- Cumin – Gives the tomatillo salsa verde a deep, earthy taste.
How to make charred tomatillo salsa verde:
Before you get started, line a baking sheet with foil, and preheat your broiler. Set the top rack in your oven to the second from the top position.
1. Char the vegetables
- Place the tomatillos, peppers, jalapeño, and garlic cloves in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.
- Broil for 5 minutes or until charred.
- Carefully turn everything over using a pair of tongs, and broil for another 4-5 minutes or until charred.
Adjust the spice
If you want an even spicier dip, feel free to include a few of the pepper seeds! Or, use fewer peppers if you prefer a tamer flavor.
2. Mix in a food processor
- Place the cilantro and onion in a food processor, and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped.
- Add the charred vegetables, lime juice, cumin, and salt, and process until smooth.
3. Serve the tomatillo salsa verde
- Serve tomatillo salsa verde with a bag of your favorite chips or crackers, and dig in!
- This salsa gets better with time. So, you can even make it a day in advance!
Tips for Success
- Properly store your tomatillos until you’re ready to use them. Leave the husks on, and store tomatillos at room temperature for up to 2 days or in a paper bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- Don’t skip the charring step. Charring the tomatillos and peppers softens them and adds so much more flavor and richness.
- Make the tomatillo salsa verde extra spicy. If you like your salsa on the spicy side, feel free to leave in some of the pepper seeds. I’ve made this tomatillo salsa verde recipe with a few different pepper combinations and concluded that poblano and serrano peppers are the spiciest combo, despite scraping all the seeds out.
- You can make it less spicy by using fewer peppers or more tomatillos. It’s totally up to you! As I’ve said, this is a very forgiving recipe.
- Use the salsa for enchiladas. This tomatillo salsa verde recipe is super versatile! Add a little water to thin it out to your liking. Then, pour it over homemade enchiladas.
- Make it creamy. Mix this salsa verde with an equal amount of cream cheese for a creamy, cheesy twist! It’s to die for!
Make-Ahead Tips
If you can, plan on making this tomatillo salsa verde recipe a day in advance. This gives the flavors time to blend, making them even better! Store the salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
Storing Tips
Leftover salsa verde will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Store it in an airtight container or tightly covered with plastic wrap.
FAQs
Unripe green tomatoes and tomatillos have similar appearances and share many of the same tangy, tart flavors. Green tomatoes are often used as a substitute for tomatillos in salsa verde. However, I don’t recommend them for this tomatillo salsa verde recipe. The recipe was written specifically for tomatillos and hasn’t been tested using green tomatoes. So, I can’t guarantee your results if you use green tomatoes!
While salsa verde and green sauce share many of the same ingredients, they’re prepared differently and have different textures. For instance, salsa verde consists of raw ingredients blended into a thick dip. Meanwhile, green sauce, often called green enchilada sauce, is thin and pourable and doesn’t always start with a tomatillo base. There’s also Peruvian green sauce, made using cilantro, jalapeño, lime, and either avocado or mayonnaise to achieve a creamy texture.
Not just a dip, tomatillo salsa verde is a versatile condiment that can be used in countless ways! Add a dollop to scrambled eggs, omelets, and breakfast burritos. Spoon it over a cheesy chicken quesadilla, fish tacos, or nachos. Serve it on top of chicken breast, grilled steak, or these tequila lime seared scallops. It makes everything better!
More Dip Recipes
Charred Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 1 pound (500 g) tomatillos, washed and husks removed
- 4-5 Anaheim peppers or Poblano peppers or combination of both, cut length-wise and seeded
- 2-3 jalapeños cut length-wise and seeded
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup cilantro Note 1
- ¼ red onion
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler. Set the top rack to the second from the top position.
- Line a baking sheet with a foil.
- Place the tomatillos, peppers, jalapeno and garlic cloves in one layer on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle olive oil.
- Broil for 5 minutes, or until charred. Using a tong, turn everything and broil for another 4-5 minutes, until charred.
- In a food processor, place cilantro and onion and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped.
- Add the charred vegetables, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Process until smooth.
Tips & Notes
– Leftover salsa verde will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Store it in an airtight container or tightly covered with plastic wrap.
– I do not recommend freezing this recipe!
Nutrition
i need to try this! I have not worked with tomatillos before but really like tomatillo salsa. And I love the variety of peppers for flavor.
So much flavor from peppers, Misha. Definitely give it a try. My only regret was I didn’t use tomatillos before, because they’re so easy to work with. 🙂
I love green tomatillo salsa and i love how you used the broiler to char them! Delicious and spicy 🙂
Medha, I’m obsessed with it. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!