So last week, we had one of those doozies of a day where it feels like everything kind of went all wrong. Don’t get me wrong, things could have been a million times worse (although my husband taking a chainsaw to the shin while cutting down a tree limb that took out our power was one for the family history books). But. It was a day that just kind of got funnier and funnier as more and more things went wrong.
While we were waiting for our house to cool back down after we had been without power, we went to a fresh-Mex restaurant and I basically ate all my feelings (which, it turns out, I’m extraordinarily good at), paying special attention to the salsa bar. All of the salsas really hit the spot, but my favorite was a fresh tomatillo salsa. Like, I literally drank what was left in the cup after I ran out of chips (did I mention it was quite a day??)
We have a recipe for roasted tomatillo salsa that I love, but there’s something so refreshing and satisfying about fresh tomatillo salsa. The biggest thing to remember with this salsa is a) it needs to stand for at least an hour before serving and b) you may need to add a little sugar because tomatillos are very tangy. And then just go ahead and try to stop…I bet you can’t. At least I can’t. But I may not be the best person to ask…this basically applies to my relationship with chips and salsa:
So. With your grain of salt in hand, prepare yourself for some of the best salsa ever.
You’re going to need 1 pound of tomatillos (buy a few more than you think you’ll need because there will inevitably be some unpleasant surprises once you pull back the husks), a very small white onion (or about 1/2 heaping cup of chopped white onions), 5-6 cloves of garlic, a jalapeño (removed of seeds and membranes, although you might want to hang onto them if you think the salsa won’t be hot enough), the juice of a lime, and a small handful of cilantro.
Combine tomatillos and jalapeños in the jar of your blender
and pulse until the tomatillos are finely chopped/crushed. Add the onions, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and sugar. Pulse until garlic, onions, and cilantro are chopped but not completely blended smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. You can store this for up to 7 days.
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 2
Description
Bright and fresh and comes together in a matter of minutes, this staple will become a favorite!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked, washed, and cut in half
- 1/3–1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 5–6 cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed (you can add more later as needed if you want to add some heat)
- 1 small handful cilantro (about 1/3–1/2 cup)
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional, but raw tomatillos can be pretty tangy)
Instructions
- Combine tomatillos and jalapeños in the jar of your blender and blend until the tomatillos are finely chopped/crushed. Add the onions, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and sugar. Pulse until garlic, onions, and cilantro are chopped but not completely blended smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. You can store this for up to 7 days.
- Prep Time: 5
Questions & Reviews
Is this recipe suitable for canning? Or are there alterations that can be made to make it suitable? My question applies to the “Cafe Rio Copycat Verde Enchilada sauce” as well.
I’m not a canning expert (Sara is, but she’s out of the country right now…I can ask her when I get back.) Many local communities have canning societies, though–you could always run it by them, or even reach out to Ball or Mason.
Do you think you could sub the tomatillos with green tomatoes? My friend always uses green tomatoes when she doesn’t have tomatillos on hand, so I wondered if it would work.
I’m not totally sure, but you could always try it! 🙂
Have you tried to freeze this salsa? We have tomatillos in our garden, and however good this salsa is, I don’t think we can eat all we can make in one sitting!
I’m pretty sure you could–tomatillos handle freezing well! 🙂 I would let it stand in the fridge for at least 24 hours before freezing it, though. 🙂
We froze a little to test it and it worked great! This is going to be a new staple in our freezer from now on- the whole family loves it!
It’s such a pretty color, too! I hope this week sees you with plenty of power, no more chainsaw accidents, and all the chips and salsa you need. = )
I think we are salsa soulmates! I can’t be trusted around chips and salsa. It would be embarrassing except I can’t bring myself to care because…salsa. During a “what would your last meal be” conversation, I once told a group of friends that mine would be centered around chips and salsa. Based on the looks I received, they clearly don’t appreciate good chips and salsa. All that to say, this recipe looks AH-MAZ-ING!!! And I really appreciate that the recipe says it yields 2 (because I took that to mean one bowl plus a refill, which is obviously one serving so that means I don’t have to share or feel guilty for eating all of it in one sitting 😉