Salsa Verde
My favorite salsa is Salsa Verde. It’s made with roasted tomatillos and poblano peppers. The flavor is spicy, but also tangy and earthy. So versatile too. I can make a batch and use it in almost everything we make in a week. I like it thick and chunky for chips or on top of nachos. It’s also great when it’s made into a thinner sauce for dishes like enchiladas, casseroles or even over eggs.
Like most things, Salsa Verde with Roasted Poblanos and Tomatillos always tastes better when you make it yourself. Here’ my easy-peasy recipe.
All the ingredients go right into a blender or food processor. You can freeze this sauce easily and just pull it out of the freezer in serving size portions. It’s not just for chips, but that’s a pretty delicious way to enjoy it too. But, I put it on roll-ups, add it to eggs, top easy weeknight street tacos with lots of salsa verde.
Roasting = Flavor X 10 For Salsa Verde
As with this salsa, the secret to adding another layer of great flavor is roasting the vegetables.
Tomatillo, sometimes called husk tomatoes, look like green, unripe tomatoes with a dry, leafy husk that wraps around the outside. The color of the fruit is a beautiful bright green, which fades a bit once you cook them.
Remove the husk and rinse the tomatillos. Cover a roasting pan with parchment or foil and add them to the pan. Add about 4-5 large whole poblano peppers. Poblanos are mild peppers. When roasted, the skin becomes very charred and easy to remove.
Depending on your preference for heat, add a few jalapeno peppers and/or Serrano peppers. I don’t like it too hot, so I stick with 1-2 jalapenos and remove most of the seeds. But, if you like it hot, keep the seeds in and for this amount of salsa, use 2-4 jalapenos or 2 Serrano Peppers.
You can roast a whole head of garlic as well. This will give the salsa a milder, more smoky garlic flavor. For my Salsa Verde, I prefer to use raw garlic for a stronger garlic flavor. But, if you like, just slice a whole head of garlic in half, then top each half with a bit of olive oil and roast it along with the rest of the vegetables.
Roast for about 20 minutes at 425º
Out of The Oven and Into The Blender (or Food Processor)
Once everything is cool enough to handle, remove the tops off the Pablano peppers, letting the excess liquid flow out. Discard the seeds. Using the back of a knife, pull the skin away from the peppers and discard. If a bit sticks, that’s fine, it just adds to the smokey flavor.
Do the same with the jalapeno or Serrano peppers. The seeds add heat, so keep that in mind, as fewer seeds, the milder to salsa will be.
Remove the stems from the tops of the Tomatillos.
If you’ve roasted the garlic, squeeze the garlic out of the skin and into the blender of or food processor. Or, add the minced garlic if using freshly minced instead of roasted garlic. Add all the vegetables, including any of the liquid that escaped onto the baking tray. Add about 1/3 cup of roughly chopped fresh cilantro.
Pulse to combine. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the juice and zest of one whole fresh lime. Pulse again. To thin the salsa, add a water, just about 1/4 cup, adding more if necessary and pulse until the salsa is the preferred texture. If you’re like me, I like chunky Salsa Verde, but if you’re using it in enchiladas or some other dish, you might want a more smooth sauce. Blend as you like.
Next, put the salsa into a saucepan over medium-low heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. This will further enhance the flavors. Check the seasoning. Remove from heat and enjoy!
Freeze For Later!
You can preserve salsa in a canner or, even easier, just put it into freezer bags and lay each bag on a baking sheet flat. Freeze until solid, then remove them from the baking sheet. Once frozen, they take up little space in your freezer and you can grab a bag of this delicious, homemade Salsa Verde anytime you need it…….like for a dip, or for tacos, or for easy enchiladas, or on eggs, or….you name it!
Enjoy!
Salsa Verde with Roasted Poblanos and Tomatillos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, skin removed and washed
- 3-4 whole fresh pablano peppers
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 whole red onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1-3 whole fresh jalapeno pepper (or substitute Serrano for more heat)
- 1/3 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Remove the husk and rinse the tomatillos.
- Cover a roasting pan with parchment of foil and add them to the pan.
- Add about 4-5 large whole poblano peppers.
- Add the whole jalapenos or Serranos
- Slice a whole head of garlic in half, then top each half with a bit of olive oil and roast it along with the rest of the vegetables.
- Roast for about 20 minutes at 425º
- Once everything is cool enough to handle, remove the tops off the pablano peppers, letting the excess liquid flow out.
- Discard the seeds.
- Using the back of a knife, pull the skin away from the peppers and discard. If a bit sticks, that's fine, it just adds to the smokey flavor.
- Do the same with the jalapeno or Serrano peppers. NOTE: The seeds add heat, so keep that in mind, as less seeds, the milder to salsa will be.
- Remove the stems from the tops of the tomatillos.
- Squeeze the garlic out of the skin and into the blender of or food processor.
- Add all the vegetables, including any of the liquid that escaped onto the baking tray.
- Add the minced garlic if using minced instead of roasted garlic.
- Add about 1/3 cup of roughly chopped fresh cilantro. Pulse to combine.
- Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the juice and zest of one whole fresh lime.
- Pulse again.
- Slowly add water, just a bit at a time, adding more if necessary and pulse until the salsa is the preferred texture.
- Put the salsa into a sauce pan over medium-low heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. This will further enhance the flavors.
- Check the seasoning. Adjust with salt or lime to taste.
- Remove from heat and enjoy!
- You can preserve salsa in a canner or, easier, just put it into freezer bags and lay on a baking sheet flat. Once frozen, they take up little space and you can grab a bag of delicious, homemade Salsa Verde anytime you need it.
- Enjoy!
