Fresh Salsa Verde gets its great flavor from charred green Mexican peppers, tomatillos, and onions.
(Updated post.) Salsas are one of my favorite things about late summer and early fall. Farmers' Markets are teeming with fresh tomatoes, tomatillos, and chiles.
This year, I grew poblano chiles and tomatillos in my garden for the sole purpose of making Salsa Verde.
My delicious, easy-to-make fresh salsa verde involves charring chile peppers, tomatillos, and onions under the broiler, on the grill, or in a pan. This imparts a wonderful, smoky flavor.
Next, it's a simple matter of peeling and seeding the peppers. That is, unless you're a chili-head like me, in which case you can leave the seeds in!
Then, you pop everything into the food processor. It's a quick zap-zap with salt, pepper, and a fistful of cilantro (or not, if you’re a genetic cilantro hater).
And that’s it! SO EASY.
Fresh Salsa Verde: about the green chiles
For an authentic, New Mexican spin on the fresh salsa verde classic, it’s great if you can get your hands on Anaheim peppers from Hatch, New Mexico.
The conditions and old-school chile-cultivating methods in this Southern New Mexico town produce hot, incredibly flavorful chiles.
They're available starting around August. In New Mexico, you can’t miss their arrival: hand-cranked chile roasters pop up all over the state, filling the air with a wonderful, hot-roasty smell.
I live in Wisconsin, but for about two weeks each year, one of my local grocery stores carries Hatch green chiles.
Every year, I happily stock up and spend the next weekend roasting, peeling, and bagging them. Then I make salsa verde.
Why char everything first to make salsa verde?
You don’t have to, of course. Instead, you can make what’s called a “raw” salsa verde.
But charring not only allows you to remove the tough skin of the peppers. It also creates a wonderful, smoky sweetness from the caramelization of the vegetables’ sugars.
So, in short, charring adds a depth of flavor that you just can’t quite hit with the raw version.
I have a grill pan that I use to char my veg. You can roast under a broiler, on a grill, or even directly over the flame of the stove (I don’t like this last one because—although it looks cool—it makes a ginormous mess).
Fresh Salsa Verde: not just for tortilla chips
Beneath the salsa verde recipe, you'll see some of the great ways you can use this salsa besides simply dipping chips in it.
I love fresh salsa verde huevos rancheros, for example. It's also great in green chile pork stew or in the decadent sauce for my Creamy Green Chile Turkey Enchiladas.
Finally, keep in mind that recipe below makes a LOT of salsa. This is good news because the fresh salsa verde freezes just fine—pull it out any time for a quick condiment, spicy marinade, or party dip.
That's it! I hope that my Salsa Verde will be a hit at your house! For more Latin American-inspired recipe ideas, check out my Mexican-Inspired Recipes for Cinco de Mayo!
—xoxo Michelle
P.S. Salsa verde makes a fantastic snack for potlucks and cookouts. For more ideas, check out my Virtual Memorial Day Potluck Recipes Roundup!
Salsa Verde
This recipe makes a large amount of salsa that works with everything from tortilla chips to eggs. It freezes with only minor changes in consistency, though if you have time to can extras, definitely go that route!
Ingredients
- 10 Hatch chile peppers or 6 poblano peppers
- 5 jalapeno peppers
- 2.5 lbs. tomatillos,, husked and rinsed to remove the stickiness under the “wrapper”
- 3 medium onions, peeled and cut into thick rings
- 1.5 cups cilantro, (loosely packed; or to taste)
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt, or to taste
- 2 tsp. cumin, optional
Instructions
- Char vegetables on all sides until dark brown splotches appear. Place the chiles in a plastic bag and allow them to sweat for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, core the tomatillos. Remove chiles from plastic bag and peel off the skins. Remove the stems, seeds, and membranes as appropriate for your desired heat level: remember that if you’re heat-sensitive, the membranes adjacent to the seeds are where most of the capsaicin (the active ingredient in chiles that makes them hot) lives.
- Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender; purée until smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed to taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
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Huevos Rancheros with Fresh Salsa Verde An easy, gorgeous, healthy breakfast. | |
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Green Chile Pork (Pork Salsa Verde) An easy, set-and-forget slow-cooker meal using fresh salsa verde. You'll have enough leftovers to use for another dinner! | |
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A fresh, delicious dip that's incredibly easy to make. |
Monika Dabrowski says
So much delicious green goodness in this sauce, I'd eat it with everything! Even with eggs for breakfast!
Michelle says
Thank you so much, Monika! Oooohh, that sounds lovely! 😛
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I am so jealous. I would love to be able to get the ingredients for this. I'll have to see if I can find them online. Looks delicious, thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare.
Michelle says
Thank you, Cat! It should be fairly adaptable to whatever fresh chiles you can find—just be mindful of the relative heat level. But the tomatillos are another matter. I know that they are sold canned, so perhaps buy whole, canned tomatillos and give them a quick char under the broiler. Good luck! 🙂
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
I'm going through a bit of Mexican food phase at the moment and your lovely, vibrant spicy salsa verde will be perfect addition to my repertoire. I like how versatile it is with so many uses and not just as a dip.
Michelle says
Thank you so much, Jo! I saw your pico de gallo recipe the other day and it looks just beautiful. I hope you enjoy this! 😉
Honest Mum says
This looks so vibrant and delicious! Wow x
Michelle says
Thank you, Vicki! You're so kind!
Jacqui says
I tweeted before reading the post and now realise your salsa verde is very different to the ones i make (with herbs). I love the sound of yours and i wish i had had the recipe a while back when i got some tomatillos in my organic veg box and didnt know what to do with them It is the only thing that has stumped me. I shall pin to my own pinterest board of recipes I want to make as well as the #CookBlogShare Board so that I can find it again,
Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Michelle says
Thanks so much, Jacqui! Now I'm intrigued: I'll have to check out your recipe for salsa verde—an herby salsa verde sounds delicious!
Corina Blum says
Oh yum! THis looks so tasty and would really liven up so many meals. It's a great recipe that keeps in the fridge for a few days and is so versatile. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice
Michelle says
Thanks so much, Corina! Yes, I've even frozen it before without any problems.