Go Back
+ servings
Smokey Salsa Verder

Smokey Salsa Verde

5 from 8 votes
Rate this Recipe
This smokey salsa verde will take your tacos to 10
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Sauces and Condiments
Cuisine: Mexican
Difficulty: Easy

Makes

About 1 cup.

Ingredients
 
 

  • 4 tomatillos
  • 1-2 jalapeños
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 sprigs cilantro Some use only the leaves, but I like to throw in the whole sprig for a more rustic salsa.
  • 1/2 teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 lime (for juice)

Method
 

  1. Prep. Remove the husk from the tomatillos and wash off the sticky film on the skin. Wash the jalapeños.
    tomatillos with husks
  2. Core the tomatillos to remove the stem and center and discard. Cut the stem off the jalapeño(s).
    Cored tomatillos
  3. Fire up. To char the tomatillos and jalapeño(s), heat your grill to warp 10 (maximum heat). Alternatively you can use a skillet over high heat or in the broiler.
    tomatillos in broiler
  4. Cook. When using the broiler, use a shallow roasting pan and a wire rack to keep the items off the bottom of the pan where they might stew in the liquid. Place the pan within 3-4 inches of the heat source to get the best char. Place the tomatillos core down first. If you use a grill be aware that the tomatillos will start to break down as they char and it will be hard to move them without crushing them.
    charred tomatillos in broiler
  5. When the bottom of the tomatillos are charred, flip them core up. This is important because as the tomatillos cook, the core will fill with liquid which would otherwise drip into the pan. Be sure to also turn the jalapenos periodically so that they char on all sides.
    charred tomatillos in broiler
  6. Prep again. Once everything has a good char put the tomatillos and jalapeño(s) into a blender or chopper. Remove the seeds from the jalapeños or other peppers if you want to reduce the heat.
    If you charred the ingredients under the broiler then there should be some liquid from the tomatillos at the bottom of the pan. This flavorful liquid is great to add to the salsa as well. If the liquid has caramelized, simply squeeze the lime juice into the bottom of the pan and use a silicone spatula to reconstitute it before adding to the blender or chopper.
    Manual food chopper
  7. Remove the outer skin from the onion and roughly chop. Roughly chop the garlic and cilantro. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, salt, sugar, cumin, and lime juice to the blender or chopper and puree along with the tomatillos and jalapenos until the desired consitency is reached.
    blended salsa verde
  8. Serve. Serve the salsa in a shallow bowl to make it easy to dip your corn chips. You can serve the salsa as is or stir in a couple of tablespoons of tomato salsa for an extra layer of depth. In a sealed container, the salsa keeps for at least a week in the fridge.
    Salsa verde in a shallow bowl

Notes

About the salt. Remember, kosher salt is half the concentration of table salt so if you use table salt, use half as much. Click here to read more about salt and how it works.

Approximate Nutrition

Serving: 1ozCalories: 25kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 293mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 196IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!