Salsa Verde (from Grits and Pinecones)
Salsa Verde is a delicious addition many Mexican dishes and is equally amazing on its own. Its bright fresh taste will convince you to never reach for the store-bought salsa again. This amazing Salsa Verde is from Grits and Pinecones' Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada post. It's just in time for Cinco de Mayo!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 52kcal
Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatillos, husk removed, rinsed well and quartered (See Tips 1 and 2)
- 3 jalapeño peppers, cut in half; membrane and seeds removed (See Tip 3)
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar - optional (See Tip 4)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped (See Tip 5)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, about 1 lime
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil; set aside.
- Place quartered tomatillos, jalapeños that have been cut in half with membrane and seeds removed, quartered onion and peeled garlic on prepared baking sheet.
- Roast vegetables for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
- When the vegetables have cooled, add them to a food processor fitted with a steel blade along with cumin, salt, sugar, cilantro and the lime juice. Pulse process about 10-15 times, or until the salsa is well combined but still slightly chunky. (See Tip 6)
- Transfer to covered container and refrigerate.
- Serve with tortilla chips or use in your favorite Mexican recipe. Yield: About 3 cups.
Notes
- The sticky residue on the tomatillo is a chemical compound that protects the fruit from insects. Before using the tomatillo, rinse well to remove the residue.
- The greener the tomatillo, the more tart it is. Avoid tomatillos that have turned yellow because they will be past their prime.
- The major part of the heat of jalapeños comes from their membrane and seeds. If you want a really hot Salsa Verde, include some of the membrane and/or seeds.
- Because of the tartness of the tomatillos, the Salsa Verde will likely be tart. You can cut down on the tartness by adding a small amount of sugar. I like to add a teaspoon. However, taste the salsa and decide whether you feel that the tartness needs to be cut down a bit.
- Cilantro is one of those things that people either love or hate. If you're in the camp that hates cilantro, then use Italian parsley in place of it.
- If your Salsa Verde is more liquidy that you would like, you can strain off some of the liquid by transferring it to a wire mesh strainer.
Nutrition
Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 585mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 22.6mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1.3mg