Salsa Verde – Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
The first year I grew tomatillos, it was in a garden that happened to be on a nature preserve. I had a pretty good harvest. It was in the second year that I realized there was a problem. The tomatillos from the previous summer had seeded in, and plants were growing with a vengeance. Not cool to introduce a potentially invasive species on a nature preserve. Luckily, the plants were easy to pull from the ground, and I never planted tomatillos there again.
Tomatillos – we called them Mexican green tomatoes growing up, even though they are only distantly related to tomatoes – are golf ball-size green fruits with a parchment-papery husk that must be removed before using. They are the key ingredient in salsa verde, Mexican green tomatillo salsa, but I also use them to make pollo verde (green chicken – stewed in a simple tomatillo sauce) and tomatillo pickles. While it used to be hard to find them in stores (we used canned tomatillos growing up to make pollo verde), they are now available year-round in many supermarkets and certainly at those that cater to a Latin clientele.
I now grow tomatillos in my home garden, where I monitor them closely so they do not spread. They are easy to grow and abundant on the vine, ripening in late summer and early fall. I usually get many pounds from the three plants I grow annually, although for some reason this year’s crop of tomatillos is small and coming in later than usual, so I may not have the abundance of my usual harvest. When I have a large crop I make a ton of salsa verde, pollo verde, and pickles, and I often have enough left over to par-boil and freeze to make pollo verde throughout the year.
While tomatillos grow easily in my garden, most nurseries do not sell young plants. I start mine from seed in spring and transplant them after all danger of frost. And since they seed in easily from fruits that dropped in the garden the previous summer, I make sure to pull any stray plants as soon as I see them, to keep them from spreading and becoming a nuisance, especially in a garden on a nature preserve.
Salsa Verde – Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Salsa verde (along with pico de gallo) is a perfect snack with tortilla chips while preparing a larger Mexican meal, and I always make a bowl for my children to top steak tacos or chicken tacos when that is what I am serving for dinner. While salsa verde can be made with raw tomatillos, I roast them along with the other vegetables, which mellows the tartness and gives them a slightly sweet, smoky flavor.
In order to use tomatillos, the papery husk must be peeled and discarded. The fruits are then rinsed to remove the sticky film that covers them. They are then ready to roast, purée, or pickle.
About 1½ cups, ½ hour, 15 minutes active
10 tomatillos, peeled, rinsed, and dried
½ medium onion, peeled and cut in two
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 fresh jalapeño pepper
½ bunch cilantro
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. pepper
- Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeño on a foil-lined tray and broil until slightly soft and lightly charred, about 3 to 5 minutes. The garlic cooks quicker than the other ingredients, so it may need to be flipped and removed before the other ingredients are done.
- Flip all vegetables to the uncooked side and broil until slightly soft and lightly charred, about 3 to 5 more minutes.
- Allow to cool.
- Roughly chop vegetables and add them – along with any liquid left on the pan – to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. You may want to start with half the jalapeño to see how spicy it will be. Add the cilantro, salt, and pepper. Blend to a purée, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasonings. You may want to make it hotter by adding more jalapeño, or it may need a touch more salt. If the salsa seems too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time while the blade is running until it is the right consistency.
