Tomatillos are not baby tomatoes! But tomatillos are a part of the tomato family, bearing small, spherical fruit. Tomatillos (Spanish is toma verde) are a staple in Mexican cuisine.
Today, I have a green salsa recipe that you will love so much, you may want to grow your own to make it summer after summer. Tomatillo salsa verde is so very simple, yet so fresh and good chilled, especially on a hot day!
You can easily grow them in your garden or buy them at about any supermarket, especially in the summertime.
Growing Tomatillos- In 50 Words Or Less
Very easily grown from seed and quick to produce fruit, you can sow several seed right into your garden soil in late May or in June where it will get full sun. Keep well watered until the seedling is established. Choose your strongest seedling and thin to ONE plant ~ they get pretty big (3′ x 3′ or more).
One plant will give you all you can use and some to share.
It will usually begin bearing in 65 days. The younger (greener) the tomatillos are, the more zesty (but not hot!). From 1 – 1 1/2 inches is perfect.
As it develops on the plant, the tomatillo fruit is surrounded by a paper-like husk. As the fruit matures, it fills the husk and can split it open by harvest-time.
Tomatillos are a key ingredient in fresh and cooked Latin American green sauces. They impart a unique picante flavor not found anywhere else!
Fire Roasted Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe
It is roasted tomatillos that make this Salsa Verde recipe memorable! Enjoy the sweet-sour richness of this roasted version where tomatillos bring a tangy brightness. The undercurrents of the fresh hot green chili adds excitement, all of which adds up to a condiment most of us simply don’t want to live without.
Roasting Directions
- Heat the broiler to 425º
- Place the tomatillos, onions, garlic and jalapeno halves skin side up on a baking sheet.
- Broil and set your timer for about 4 minutes or until the skins have browned, blackened a bit and blistered.
Note: You can also roast them in a hot skillet on the stove top.
Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. (20-30) tomatillos, peeled, washed and halved (remove the stem area if it is large)
- 1 small onion, halved or quartered
- 1/3 cup of cilantro, stems removed, minced
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 2 medium jalapenos (or other roasting peppers according to your heat preference), halved, stem and seeds removed
- 1/4 tsp sweetener (I use just a dash of monk fruit or stevia)
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
- 2-3-4 cloves of garlic
Final Steps:
Place everything in a blender and pulse until few chunks remain or to the texture you prefer.
Chill the resulting salsa and serve.
Tomatillos are good for more than salsa.
You can puree them into creamy sauces and curries, or add them into vinaigrettes for more acid.
They can also sub in for a tomato when sliced thinly, layered over some ricotta, drizzled with olive oil, and eaten on toast.
You can grill them with onions for steak side, incorporate them into bean chili or braise them with chicken for a saucy stew.]
Just dip your burritos or organic corn chips into this picante green salsa or top off chicken or roasted zucchini.
The savory, roasted flavors are indescribably delicious!
¡Buen apetito!
©2024 Deep Roots at Home • All Rights Reserved
Jennifer Price
Thank you for sharing this recipe-we LOVE salsas at our home 🙂
Last year we u-picked tomatillos at a local farm and I made double batches of tamale sauce for the holidays—it freezes well, if you’d like to try that, too!
Mrs. T.
I just made homemade salsa for the first time last week. So delicious! How nice that your variety can be frozen. I will look forward to trying it and thank you for posting it for us!
jess
I have heard this is the hardest salsa there is to make, do you conquer? I am going to give this a GO! A+++
Jess ~ the balanced libra I’m a new subscriber 🙂
Rachel
I’ve had things with tomatilleos but never actually made anything with them by myself. I am so glad I learned something new about tomatilloes today! Thanks for sharing! I love salsas, so I would love to try making some with tomatilloes next time! Also, thanks for sharing with Healthy 2day Wednesdays! I hope you’ll participate this week!
angie
love salsa it is so versatile I use it many different ways I bet your homemade version is delicious come see me at http://shopannies.blogspot.com