Salsa Verde (Roasted Tomatillo)
I put salsa verde on pierogi once and my babcia's spirit left my body for a moment. But then she tasted it. She approves.
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed 450g
- 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers
- 1/2 large onion, quartered
- 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- Salt
Method
Roast
- Place tomatillos, jalapeno, onion quarters, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Broil 5-7 minutes until charred and blistered, then flip and broil another 3-5 minutes. The charring is what makes roasted salsa verde taste deeper and more complex than raw. The tomatillos will soften and release juice — this is good. That juice is flavour.
Blend
- Peel the roasted garlic. Remove the jalapeno stem (leave seeds for more heat, remove for less). Transfer everything — charred tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic, all the juices from the pan — into a blender. Add cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Pulse until you reach your preferred consistency: smooth for enchilada sauce, slightly chunky for a dipping salsa. Taste and adjust: more lime for tang, more salt for depth, more jalapeno for heat.