Ingredients
- 2 pounds green tomatillos husks removed and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 serrano or jalapeño chiles or more to taste
- 1 cup cilantro leaves and upper stems
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped white onion
- 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons safflower or corn oil
To Prepare
- Place the tomatillos along with the garlic cloves and chiles in a pot and add enough water to cover. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatillos change in color from bright green to a pale green, are cooked through, and are soft but are not coming apart.
- Transfer the tomatillos, garlic, chile (you may want add only 1 chile at first), and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to a blender and puree until smooth. Incorporate the cilantro leaves, onion and salt and process again. Taste for salt and add more if need be. Also taste for heat, you may add the other chile in pieces until you reach your desired heat level.
- In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, pour the oil. Once hot, pour in the salsa verde, bring to a simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until it thickens a bit and deepens its flavor and color. Turn off the heat.
- Allow to cool to room temperature and serve. Or, once it cools down, you may store it in a closed container in the refrigerator for weeks.
Comments
103comments inSalsa Verde
Margaret Sulsters
Dec 12
Hi Pati
Can I substitute tinned tomatillos for fresh ones.. going to make chicken tamales.. hopefully.
Everytime I get one of your emails I want to jump on a plane and go back to Mexico
Thankyou for all your wonderful recipes and programs showcasing that wonderful country
Many thanks
Margaret
Pati Jinich
Dec 19
Absolutely Margaret, go for it and enjoy the tamales! Un abrazo.
Diane Stelly
Dec 12
Thank you for this recipe. I will make it often.
Do you have any other recipes or ideas for using tomatillos? I like them very much and would enjoy a variety of uses to enjoy.
Again, thanks very much.
Best wishes, Diane
Pati Jinich
Dec 19
Of course Diane, follow this link and you will find many recipes with tomatillos on my website! Enjoy 😉 https://patijinich.com/?s=tomatillos
Norma
Dec 08
I make a big batch and use it to make chicken tamales in this salsa. I also add this salsa to the masa. Tamales are delicious! Muchas gracias por compartir Pati.
Pati Jinich
Dec 10
Con gusto Norma, esta salsa es buenisima para todo, tambien para chilaquiles y enchiladas, o con taquitos dorados, yum!
Jackie Koenig
Jul 22
Yummy! We grew tomatillos this year and we’ve had a good harvest! Tried this recipe today and it turned out so good and and it’s so easy. My husband asked if I had sugar in it and I said nope! Must be the sweetness of the wonderful tomatillos and onion. Fortunately I have plenty of canning jars so we can enjoy some for months to come! Thanks Pati!
Pati Jinich
Jul 27
You are so lucky, I love tomatillos Jackie, enjoy!
Lisa
Jul 11
Love it!! I will try this one for my family.
Pati Jinich
Nov 05
Hope you all liked it Lisa!
Greg Reese
Jun 12
First time making it and it is amazing! Will be making your carnitas recipe for tacos and can’t wait to try it with that.
Pati Jinich
Nov 09
Yes! This salsa goes perfect in a Carnitas taco Greg, enjoy!
Elaine Gauthier
Feb 08
Great recipe!!!
Pati Jinich
Mar 13
Yay!
Anonymous
Jan 31
Why do you have to put oil in the salsa?
Pati Jinich
Mar 17
Shocking the salsa in a bit of oil adds another yummy layer of flavor 🙂
PETER DEHOFF
Nov 23
I CAN NEVER DECIDE WHETHER TO ROAST OR TO BOIL- I HAVE NEVER TRIED BOILING SO TODAY I AM TRYING BOILING AND THEN COOKING IN THE OIL PER YOUR RECIPIE// I ENJOY YOUR SHOW VERY MUCH!! THANKS! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Pati Jinich
Jan 01
Awesome, let me know what you think of the result Peter 😉
Terry
Nov 21
This is a fantastic sauce for chicken enchilada with fresca cheese on poped under the grill, yum!!!
Pati Jinich
Jan 01
Si, awesome idea!
Katrin Threet
Oct 15
Looks beautiful and Zi always thought salsa verde was mild, well heat is tasty!
Pati Jinich
Oct 24
Glad you liked it!
Pam
Jul 24
Classic salsa verde!
My daughter’s fav.
For an incredible flavor boost use red jalapeños. I made it this way one year when my jalapeños all turned. Oh My!
What a difference.
I brought it to a neighborhood chili cookout and won for best salsa. 🙂
Pati Jinich
Aug 16
Yay, great tip Pam, thanks for sharing!
Ben G
Jul 02
My 6 year old twin girls are really into cooking and this salsa was perfect for them. Really hands on and super tasty. Thanks so much!!
Pati Jinich
Jul 18
So glad to hear you guys liked this recipe and had fun making the salsa. Hugs to all!
Tim Comi
Jun 25
Going to try this tonight. Looks really, really good
Pati Jinich
Jul 08
How did you like it Tim? 😉
helen
Jun 17
🤤 Husband loved this as well as myself. Only made half batch cause I bought some store bought tomatillo salsa and my tongue broke out, wasn’t sure if it would with this and IT DID NOT. So mmmmm good. Planning on making again soon, like today. Oh, and planning to make the Drowned Crispy Taquitos, too. 😄
Pati Jinich
Jun 22
Glad you liked my version of this salsa better Helen! Hope you love the Taquitos as much 🙂
Belinda Saenz
Jun 11
I love this salsa. I can’t have too much red sauce, tomatoes…great alternative on hot flavor. I follow your recipes closely for flavor success! Yums!
Pati Jinich
Jun 13
Thanks so much Belinda, so glad you liked this salsa, un abrazo!
Dan
May 06
Hi Pati, I’ve seen that sometimes you roast the tomatillos and other vegetables. But here you boil them. Which is better?
Pati Jinich
May 13
It depends on the layers of flavor you want to add, for a smokier, deeper taste roast your tomatillos 😉
Anonymous
Jul 12
Try both. Both ways are amazing.
Diana
Feb 03
The best sauce ever.been doing it for along time and I love it. My favorite
Pati Jinich
Feb 03
Yay, so glad you like it Diana 😉
Laura Esq
Jan 02
Great recipe – in mine I also add some fesh lime
Pati Jinich
Jan 02
Great idea Laura 🙂
Letty
Dec 21
Pati que recetas tan ricas!! Voy hacer la gelatine de leche
Pati Jinich
Dec 26
Gracias Letty, que la disfrutes 😉
Marie B Kidd/Taylors, SC
Dec 15
I can’t wait to impress my Mexican amigos with these receipes.
Pati Jinich
Dec 26
That is very cute of you, have fun!
David
Dec 05
Would using red onion be acceptable? Would it change the flovor very much?
Pati Jinich
Dec 28
Go for it David and enjoy!
Maria L Garcia
Sep 12
I made this salsa today. It was very good but I think I’ll add 2 more jalapeños next time.
Pati Jinich
Oct 04
Yes! You’re my kind of “I like my salsa spicy” girl 🙂
Sandy Schmidt
Jul 05
Pati, I make a roasted verdi sauce that I use for enchiladas. I have acid reflux disease and can’t have jalapenos and the like, so I use poblano peppers instead. They are usually not too spicy. I also used for the first time ever , tomatillos ,I fell in love with them. Such a homey , tart and citrusy.
Pati Jinich
Jul 08
So glad you were able to substitute ingredients according to your taste and needs Sandy, yay 😉
KS
Jul 02
Dear Pati,
Would it be totally wrong to add lime juice to the salsa verde?
Thanks 🙂
Pati Jinich
Jul 04
I don’t think it would be wrong, just maybe taste it before adding it because sometime tomatillos add enough acidity to it. Have fun 😉
Mairi Athanatos
Jul 01
Hi from 🇨🇾Cyprus.. what would be the nearest substitute for the tomatillos, as they are not available here… even though I know the taste will differ greatly..
we also are as passionate here in the Mediterranean as you are in Mexico about flavours aromas tastes,
Ευχαριστώ
Pati Jinich
Jul 03
Hola Mairi! So happy to read you are interested in this salsa verde; to be absolutely honest with you, tomatillos have no close substitute, they are from the family of the gooseberries so cannot be replaced with green tomatoes. I would suggest that if you really, really want to try them, you go ahead and order them oline, Amazon carries many canned brands and those are very good. Enjoy!
Ann B
Oct 12
May I suggest that Cyprus has a climate that can grow tomatillos easily? Order the seeds or (if you’ve got a problem with EU restricting seeds) buy canned tomatillos and see if you can get those seeds to sprout.
Tomatillos can even withstand a lack of water and will spring back.
Pat
Jul 01
Patti you are the best. I love your show and your recipes are yummy.
Pati Jinich
Jul 03
Thanks so much Pat 😉
Sienna Pascarella
Jun 30
Hola Pati!!!
Salsa verde is one of my favorite salsas, but every recipe I try to make it at home it always leaves me disappointed. When I saw you had a recipe I just KNEW it was going to be fabulous…everything I have ever made of yours has been fantastic!! I went to the farmer’s market specifically for tomatillos and I’m here to say this salsa verde is every salsa verde dream come true! Bright, citrusy, floral, tart; Absolute heaven!!! I hope it gets to the table…I can’t keep my spoon out of the pot! I am truly such a HUGE fan and I thank you for letting me cook and enjoy these authentic, beautiful and traditional foods for my family and loved ones. Bendiciones Pati!
Pati Jinich
Jul 04
Aw Sienna, thanks so much for your review of the Salsa Verde! It makes me so very happy that you finally found a recipe you love, yay! Hugs to you and your family 😉
FRANCISCO FERNANDO GUTIERREZ
Jun 30
GRACIAS PATI, LO VOY A PREPAR.
SOY DE GUADALAJARA Y VIVO EN OXNARD, CALIFORNIA, UNA HORA AL NORTE DE LOS ANGELES.
Gracias por compartir tu comida Mexicana con todo el mundo, y puedan saborear nuestra diversidad culinaria, esa fusion del Nativo Mexico y España.
Espero te ganes el premio, te lo mereces
Pati Jinich
Jul 04
Que amable Fernando, gracias por los buenos deseos y tus lindas palabras, un abrazo!
Blanca M Shannon
Jun 30
where can I get printed copies of these salsas
Pati Jinich
Jul 04
Hola Blanca! Here in the site, below the name of each recipe, on the right side of your screen, there is the printing option; click on it and it will format the recipe for you to print it out. Thanks!
Toni Fox
Jun 30
Thank you for sharing all your recipes. I tried a few so far n loved them very much
You always have the greatest recipes. .
Pati Jinich
Jul 04
Thanks so much Toni!
Los Duque
Apr 02
Pati! Vivimos en NM y nos encanta todo lo que haces!!! Eres lo máximo!
Pati Jinich
Apr 04
Que amables, mil gracias y un abrazo!
Anonymous
Jan 20
Me gusta mucho esta salsa, con unos dos aguacates.
Pati Jinich
Jan 21
Si! Que rico 😉
Barb
Jan 08
Pati, thanks for sharing your recipes we love the! I made the salsa verde last night and it’s so good.😋
Pati Jinich
Jan 17
Thanks to you for giving them a chance Barb, delighted that you liked it!
Dan
Nov 15
Pati, we saw you make this on TV and just had to try it. Instead of tomatillos only we did half red tomatoes. It was really good. So good we couldn’t stop eating it.
Pati Jinich
Nov 22
Yay Dan! So you made what we call a Salsa Campechana, que rico!
Iven
Jul 21
I am learning to cook since I retired, and I am a fan of the Mexican cuisine. This recipe is great. I made this twice and the second time I added an Ancho chile to it. It was fantastic also.
Thank You Pati.
Pati Jinich
Jul 26
So glad you liked this recipe Iven and that you gave it your own twist with the Anchos, bravo!
Stephanie
May 28
Thank you, Pati, I love this recipe!! Perfect balance of ingredients! All of your recipes, your show, your cookbooks…I am a lifelong fan!!
One question…is there an easy way to tell how hot one serrano pepper is from the next? I made a salsa one time and added half a serrano, and it tasted too spicy. After it sat for an hour, there was barely any spiciness!
Pati Jinich
May 28
Hi Stephanie, glad you like this salsa! Is hard to tell the spiciness in Serranos just by looking at them, but I know once you start slicing them, the smell will be your best friend 😉
Gregorio Castillo
Nov 15
Love this recipe, thank you Pati..
Pati Jinich
Nov 16
Thank YOU Gregorio.
Cheryl
Nov 06
Dear Pati’s I’m having to make Green salsa for 100 people how much tomatillo do I need please help
Pati Jinich
Nov 19
Oh it depends how much salsa the 100 people will use…but I would recommend to make at least 5x the recipe. So you would need 10 lbs of tomatillos.
Mars
Oct 28
I love this recipe!!’n best ever… I added sautéed pork chunks and simmered 2 hours.AMAZING
Pati Jinich
Oct 29
Yum!
Margaret Howard
Jul 31
I made this Sasa frist for my family and it was a hit. Then i made it for back yard all cuisine party it was the talk of the party. I did it with jalapeno and I never did which Serrano peppers OMG thanks so much Pati for the recipe.keep them coming.
Pati Jinich
Aug 01
I’m happy to hear that it was the talk of the party, Margaret!
Diane Quigley
Jul 30
Definitely the Best salsa Verde I’ve tasted. I had to make it with Serrano peppers, since I’m allergic to jalapeños.
Pati Jinich
Aug 01
So happy to hear it is the best you’ve tasted, Diane!
Martha Munguia
Jul 30
I love green salsa and this recipe is easy and awesome! Thanks Pati!!!
Pati Jinich
Jul 31
Thank you, Martha!
Michael Dale
Jul 18
Hola Pati!
The tomatillos always break on me. Is this truly an issue?
Would not letting reach a boiling point so they don’t actually improve the end result?
Thank you for your time,
Michael Dale
Pati Jinich
Jul 18
Don’t worry too much if the tomatillos break, Michael…but next time cook them for a little less time.
Janice Chastain
May 27
I made this salsa Verde today to go on our carne asada street tacos! It was awesome! So much better than the jarred stuff I usually buy!! Thank you, Pati, for helping me to conquer my fear of daughter’s new Ninja blender! Lol We both enjoy watching your show!! You’re awesome!!
Pati Jinich
May 28
I’m so glad you aren’t afraid of the blender anymore, Janice! I hope you are loving your blender as much as I love mine.
Sadie
Oct 14
I made this recipe and it was fantastic! Thank you for sharing this recipe
Pati
Oct 20
Thank YOU Sadie!
Jennifer Williams.
Aug 25
How well does the finished product freeze. Does the tamal casserole freeze well?
Pati
Aug 25
The casserole freezes beautifully! http://patijinich.com/pati_2020/recipe/make_it_freeze_it_take_it_the_mexican_casserole/
Maria Rivera
Jan 12
I started making this salsa and follow the direction exactly. It comes out amazing. Before this all my salsas were a fail :(. Especially the green one. I never got the ingredient quantity right. I’m going to try your other salsa recipes!
Thanks!
Pati
Jan 13
So excited to hear, Maria!
Ignacio J Ceja
Aug 07
In my house, I get made fun of because after I make the salsa verde, I ladle the cooking liquid into a mug, add a dash of salt and pepper, and enjoy. I’m essentially drinking vegetable broth, but the tomatillos give it a mild tartness, and maybe I’m getting a little vitamin C as well. Anyway, I like it, so as long as I make tomatillo salsa, I’ll keep doing it.
Pati
Aug 10
HAHA!!! Amazing! Yes, I am often guilty of drinking the sauce before I am even finished!
Isabel
Jul 24
This “salsa verde” recipe calls for boiling the tomatillo and chili. Don’t you think that it would have better color and flavor charring them on a comal?
Debbie
Jan 30
I was wondering the same. Going to a Mexican themed Super Bowl party and volunteered to bring my tomato salsa and also tomatilla salsa (which I’ve never made before).
Pati Jinich
Feb 01
Charring works beautifully as well Debbie, it adds an extra delicious layer of flavor!