Quick and easy tomatillo salsa verde

Tomatillos are a staple in Mexican Cuisine, but living in South Africa, it is not a fruit I had never had the pleasure of seeing them before. They are a direct relative of the Cape gooseberry, which is indigenous to South Africa, and in the same way, they are surrounded by a thin, film-like husk. They have never been cultivated here, which I guess is purely related to demand.

A Twitter connection grows tomatillos, had an abundant harvest recently and wanted to give some away. She offered, I immediately said yes, and here we are. Thank you Rosie.

I did loads of Googling and figured you could go with either a raw or cooked salsa, so I opted for both. My roasted tomatillo salsa turned out to be quite bitter, which was puzzling because when you eat one of them raw, they aren’t. This fresh salsa verde recipe is much better. It still has a slight bitter note, which I tried to counterbalance with a drizzle of agave nectar, but I prefer it much more. I’m not sure if bitterness is a normal characteristic of them, but I’m keen to know.

All the flavours I included go so well with tomatillos, and you can add in varying degrees depending on your taste. I used a fresh jalapeno chilli and then found it needed more heat, so I added a pickled one. This was because I only had one fresh. It definitely needs the finely chopped onion, and I prefer spring onions to raw white onion, so I opted for this. I added this in the end so you get the texture. I’m not a fan of processing onions generally when raw.

I always love playing around with new ingredients and next time I get my hands on tomatillos, I’ll be making a jam. They have loads of pectin so will be perfect for it.

Storage instructions for tomatillo salsa verde:

Store in a sealed jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Stir before serving.

Delicious scooped onto toasted pita bread but otherwise used as a condiment for all manner of Mexican dishes.

Tomatillo salsa verde

Zesty homemade tomatillo salsa verde made with roasted tomatillos, chilli, garlic, and lime. Fresh, vibrant, and perfect with tacos, chips, or grilled meat.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:5 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 500 grams fresh tomatillos husks removed
• 2 fresh jalapeno chillies or pickled
• small handful of coriander stalks can remain on
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4-6 spring onions finely chopped green and white part
• Agave nectar to sweeten totally optional and if required to taste
• a drizzle of olive oil to serve

Instructions

• Put all the ingredients except the spring onions and olive oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have a fine salsa.
• Decant this into a bowl and stir in the spring onions and olive oil. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Notes

Storage instructions for tomatillo salsa verde:

Store in a sealed jar or an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Stir before serving.

Servings: 4

BUY MY eBOOK COMFORT

 Find me on Instagram & Pinterest