Salsa Verde or “Green Sauce”
Salsa verde is a staple in every Mexican kitchen. It’s great for making enchiladas verdes or for topping carne asada tacos. We also think it is great on eggs. It is a simple to make, versatile salsa.
Use it on just about anything. The taste of fresh homemade salsa puts the bottled salsas to shame. Give this one a try!
What to Expect From this Recipe
Boiled Salsas vs. Roasted Salsas
There are generally two ways that Mexican salsas are prepared, with boiled ingredients or fire roasted / pan roasted ingredients. These two methods create distinctive flavor profiles.
This is a recipe for a classic boiled salsa.
Boiled salsas tend to be milder in flavor where the taste of the vegetables are out in front. Roasted salsas are bolder in flavor where the smoky flavors from charring add a deeper element.
A Healthy Recipe
Mexican food gets a bad rep for being greasy, heavy and, unhealthy but stop and think for a second. Salsa is nothing but concentrated vegetables.
It’s the tastiest way ever to get your daily veggies. You can eat as much as you want guilt-free. It’s rare that your favorite food can be the healthiest food too. So enjoy.
How to Make Salsa Verde
Our Salsa verde recipe is really easy to make and the ingredients are available at almost every supermarket.
We prepared ours with tomatillos which look like small green tomatoes and are covered in a papery husk. You can also use larger green tomatoes, called tomates verdes. Both make excellent salsas.
The recipe calls for three serrano peppers but you can use fewer if you want to reduce the heat. We like it on the hot side. You can substitute jalapeño peppers for the serranos The flavor won’t be as bright and the heat will be milder but it will still be tasty.
HOW TO MAKE SALSA VERDE | 1-MINUTE VIDEO
Prep the Tomatillos First
First, remove the papery husks from the tomatillos.
Then rinse them under warm water to remove the sticky residue.
The preparation is really simple. Add all of the ingredients to your pot except the cilantro and just cover with water.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Notice how the ingredients change color. This lets you know that the ingredients are fully cooked.
For the next step, blend the ingredients with the cooking water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can use a blender or food processor for good results.
When blending, you want the salsa to keep a little bit of texture. It shouldn’t be liquified. Use the picture of the prepared salsa to guide you. Notice the bright green color.
The Salsa Making Secret
The next thing you are going to do is fry the salsa. This is the magic step that is used in making almost all cooked salsas in Mexico. Do not skip this step. It gives a superior result.
Heat two tablespoons of oil on high.
Slowly pour the blended salsa into the pan. This develops a deeper richer tasting salsa. This step is called “seasoning.”
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.
The Importance of Salt
Add 1 ½ tsp. salt to your salsa stir well and taste. You will probably want to add more. The salsa is perfectly salted when it is just a little bit too salty when tasted by alone.
Remember that you will be adding salsa to your food to season it and once mixed with the food the salt in the salsa will bring out the flavor of the food without seeming overly salty.
Notice how the salsa darkens in color when cooked.
Now you have the perfect salsa verde!
Problems with your salsa? How to Fix It
Sometimes your salsa doesn’t come out exactly to your liking. Keep in mind that the ingredients are all-natural products and can vary in freshness and flavor due to seasonal differences and how the ingredients have been handled. One time when you buy peppers they may be super hot and the next time you buy the exact same pepper is very mild.
Here are a few methods to correct your salsa:
- Too runny? Simmer until it has reduced to the desired consistency.
- Too thick? Add water 2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Too hot or acidic? Add only one of the following to reduce heat or acidity: ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup.
- Too bland? Try adding more salt ¼ of a teaspoon at a time until you get the desired taste.
- Pale color? Try simmering for 10 extra minutes to deepen the color.
When you make adjustments, add ingredients a little at a time. A small modification can have a surprisingly large effect. Some people like to add a squirt of lime juice.
What are you going to use it on?
Chicken enchiladas, tortilla chips, pork, chops, chilaquiles, burritos, and many more dishes pair well with this salsa. Be adventurous.
Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lb. tomatillos or green tomatoes
- 1 white onion
- 4 serrano chiles
- 4 cloves garlic
- 12 sprigs cilantro
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 ½ tsp. salt + to taste
Instructions
- Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse to remove the sticky residue.
- Quarter the onion.
- Add all of the ingredients except the cilantro and salt to a large pot and just cover with water.
- Bring the water and ingredients to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Blend the cooked ingredients and the cilantro with the cooking water until smooth. (About 30 seconds)
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in the pot.
- Pour the blended salsa back into the pot with the hot cooking oil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the salt and adjust if necessary.
Notes
- Too runny? Simmer until it has reduced to the desired consistency.
- Too thick? Add water 2 tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Too hot or acidic? Add only one of the following to reduce heat: ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup.
- Like it hot? You do not have to seed the serrano chiles. You can seed them if you want to reduce the heat of the salsa.
- You can substitute jalapeño chiles for the serranos but the flavor won’t be as bright but it will still be tasty.
- The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- This salsa freezes very well. Make a double batch so that you always have some on hand.
- You may also know this salsa as green salsa, green sauce, verde salsa, salsa verda, or tomatillo salsa.
Nutrition
Alternate Names & Common Misspellings
You may also know this salsa as green salsa, green sauce, verde salsa, salsa verda, verde sauce, or tomatillo salsa. Whatever you call it, it’s still delicious :)
ReNae Rinne says
This was easy and good!!
Douglas Cullen says
Glad you liked it :)
Christie says
Can you can this exact recipe also? I have a HUGE successful garden this year, and have taught myself to can. I have TONS of tomatillos! :)
Suzanne Daum says
I also want to know if this recipe can be canned and if so how long should it be processed?
Darrin says
Easy and authentic. Viva La Mexico!
MamaB says
My parents from South Texas said this is as good as any Green sauce they had there; we have a new go to recipe!
Douglas Cullen says
Excellent! I am glad your family likes the recipe.
Colleen says
I am MOST excited to try this recipe! Do you know–can I hot water bath/can it, as well?
Paula Garner says
Yes this recipe may be canned, however … Remember your acidity factor.
What I have done in the past, and this works very well .
I simply just add lemmon or lime juice, and cook like it instructs you to do. Then when putting in to your jars add to the jar … Sugar and salt … For pints 1/2 teaspoon of each . for quarts dubble the amount . Sence you are going to can this omit the salt from the original recipe. I hope you opt. to use the lime juice. You can also use vinegar in this,its a good stand by when you find you are out of juice . But the juice does give the finished product a much brighter flavor . Freesh is best but a good bottled juice will work just as well. Hope I didnt confuse you .check with your local extention service for prosessing times or contact Ball Canning Jar Co. They will also hook you up with coupons and other goodies if you just ask.
Happy Canning !
Douglas Cullen says
Thanks for the canning advice. That’s something that I know nothing about. Cheers!
Justin says
I really enjoy the addition of lime! I’ve done this recipe multiple times and always ad the juice of a line :)
Jeanie says
That was my question. Can this recipe be canned? How much lime juice should I add. I didn’t see that but maybe I over looked it. Thank you,
Jeanie
Erin Moore says
Typically any tomatillos have enough acidity to be pressure canned with minimal to no acid or salt added. I will add the lime, because I like the taste, but Im planning to can the salsa and not add any additional salt. 11lbs of pressure for 30-40 minutes should be sufficient to seal and protect your salsa. The addition of lime or salt just adds more acidity/ preservative that I don’t think is needed with the tomatillos. I don’t water bath can, so I can’t speak to this process. But here’s a link to a good source for that. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9839810
Good luck!
Douglas Cullen says
Thanks for your response Erin! It’s important that everyone follow safe canning methods. Cheers!
Mike says
Great salsa!! The only change I made was to use two habaneros instead of the serranos. Nice ‘n spicy!! I’ve made this in the past and added small avocado cubes after blending – wife loves it. Try dipping it with thicker, traditional style corn tortilla chips, you’ll love it.
Douglas Cullen says
The habaneros sound good. Will be giving it a try! Cheers!
Julie says
Hi. I know this post is old but I’m hoping you can help me! I am obsessed with this salsa-before I found your recipe I actually made some and roasted the ingredients, will try your way next time. My problem is there is a “spicy” bitterness of raw garlic taste that is almost ruining my verde😠. Is there anything I can do besides start over? Will the drying process help this-because I did not know to do this step.
Lori Holuta says
I needed to find a use for about four dozen hard green tomatoes at the end of the season, as a cold frost was due and the plants would die. I adapted yoru recipe to use them and it came out glorious! I halved the tomatoes, put them cut side down on a baking sheet and broiled them for about 15 minutes before starting. That mellowed them greatly. I’ll still try it with tomatillos in the future, but for this weekend, your recipe saved the day. Yum!
Douglas Cullen says
Excellent! Glad you were able to make the recipe work for you. Cheers! Cool website BTW
belinda says
I am making salsa Verde to can,which recipe do you recommend and are green tomatoscreen hard to find and anyone know of a good chow chow recipe?
LaVar Parker says
PICALILLI / CHOW CHOW RECIPE
August 14, 2013 by Joel MacCharles
Please read the safety note at the end of this post before deciding to make this recipe.
Chow Chow (also known as picalilli) is a tart green relish common in Maritime Nova Scotia. Recipes are shared within families but often guarded beyond that as each family protects it’s ‘secret formula.’
Picalili_Chow_Chow_Canning_Recipe_1
My family didn’t have a chow chow recipe; we were more about mustard pickles (which featured a somewhat dubious sugar-vinegar-tumeric-flour brine mixed with cucumbers, onions and cauliflower). Mustard pickles are sweeter than chow chow but both are common in fish dinners, served atop fish cakes or with boiled salt potatoes.
Picalili_Chow_Chow_Canning_Recipe_2
PICALILLI/ CHOW CHOW RECIPE – INGREDIENTS
All measurements below are after chopping. Makes about 4 half-pints.
3 cups medium green tomatoes (about 5 tomatoes) chopped coarse
2 cups cabbage (slightly less than 1 medium savoy cabbage) chopped coarse
1 cup sweet onion (about 1 medium sized onion) chopped fine.
1 cups red or orange bell peppers chopped coarse (1-2 peppers)
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups cider vinegar
0.5 cup light white or brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
0.5 teaspoon celery seed
PICALILLI/ CHOW CHOW RECIPE – INSTURCTIONS
Mix all vegetables and salt together. Cover loosley and sit in warm spot in your kitchen for 3-6 hours. If you don’t know why we rest it, read this article – you’ll also see why I recommend making 3 salsa recipes at the same time!
Prepare canner (large pot of water which will cover the jars by at least 1 inch), heat jar seals and sterilize jars (in boiling water for 10 minutes).
Drain vegetables (discard liquid).
Rinse vegetables very well.
Add vinegar, brown sugar, seeds and spices to a boil – stir until the sugar is disolved.
Add vegetables to brine, simmer for 10 minutes.
Add veggies to jars, then add liquid while leaving 1/4 inch headspace. You will likely have extra brine; which is better than running out.
Wipe rims, apply seals and rings and place in waterbath and process (boil) for 10 minutes.
Remove from waterbath, allow to cool for 24 hours and check lids for proper seal.
Pat Wheeler says
When I grew my first tomatoes back in thee 1960’s a friend advised me to uproot the entire plant before the first frost and hand it from the rafters in my garage. It turns out that the tomatoes will continue to draw nourishment from the roots, stems and leaves and will ripen without soil or water as the plant dries.
louise kay says
Sat in chaqitos loving my meal absolutely beautiful…xxx
Cheryl Aikman says
I am looking for an authentic CALDO de Res recipe. I can’t seem to find a search option so far on this site.
Sophie says
So yummy and easy!
Christina Michelle says
Going to be making this for my fiancé tonight. I’ve made red salsa and pico, but NEVER salsa verde. Lol. He is a green sauce kinda guy. So I figured why not surprise home with a batch?? 🤣 I will definitely update you! Thanks for sharing? Can I roast the tomatillos, or do I have to boil the ?
Douglas Cullen says
Roasting the tomatillos will make an excellent salsa. Hope he likes it!
Rose Mota says
I love recipe
Ann Marie says
Where can I find these types of tomatoes? Also is this mild?
Thanks
Ann
Geoff says
It’s not mild if you follow the recipe exactly, but if you remove the seeds from the peppers or substitute a milder pepper I think it will work. My wife is not shy about spice but thought the heat was too much even if the flavor was marvelous. I’m cooking a second batch as I write this with two jalapeno peppers (seeds included) and a poblano for 1.5 pounds of tomatillos. I think she’s going to love it, but you may have to experiment to get it right for you. It’s a marvelous flavor and worth a couple tries.
I also added lime juice. Next time I think I will try roasting the ingredients as Christina suggested.
Roxanne says
Hi. Wonder how much water in pot pan with stuffs?
Pam Holton says
I recently signed up to receive your emails and recipes and find all your tips and techniques to be very helpful. I love to cook, and love the spicy, flavorful recipes that you post. Thank you!
brushjl says
this was outstanding, definitely a keeper. i got fresh tomatillas from my farm shares and it was great. thanks for the recipe!
Mok says
Salsa is amazing! Great receipe
John says
How much water? When I tried this is was just too watery. Like soup
Martha C Riguero says
Green Salsa
Angelica Frias says
The best salsa i have EVER MADE!!
Thank you so much! Now i can get married! 😁
Douglas Cullen says
Awesome! Invite us to the wedding :)
Tamura says
Fabulous tastes just like the award winning and my favorite Mexican restaurant . My favorite is Burrito Verde. Pork prepared in my Instant Pot until its tender and serve in this magic green sauce. Make burritos little sauce on top and sprinkle cheese serve with rice n beans. Heaven!
Mayamaya says
This was super easy and delicious
Wanda I Morales says
Great recipe! My husband and I loved it. I made it this weekend to go with my chicken taquitos for super bowl LII and it was a hit. Definitely a keeper. My question is how long can I freeze it? Since the original recipe is a little spicy only half was used.
Thanks
Linda says
Love this recipe! Fabulous!
Ashley says
How much water?
Ole Mission says
Solid Recipe Doug!
My wife makes it using one of her old Mexican recipes and seems like she adjusts the ingredients based on what she has at the time. I like yours because It is simple to make and tastes great. Your website is a new resource we follow. PS. I made some and the wife was impressed :)
Liz says
We’ve had a great tomatillo year! Just had the thrill of making this with mostly homegrown ingredients and I’m so glad I chose this recipe to invest them into. Thank you.
Douglas Cullen says
Excellent! I am sure it was amazing with vine-ripened tomatillos.
Jo says
Just tried this. It’s incredible! Flavorful and very easy to make while I’m prepping other food.
Douglas Cullen says
Jo, I am glad you like it. I am sure you will love our other salsas too. Let us know how they turn out. Cheers!
Anonymous says
Itactually a cool and helpful piece of information. I am glad that you shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thanks for sharing.
Jack Burton says
Man thats where I keep messing up, I always drain my water out after I cook the tomatillos :)
Douglas Cullen says
Jack, when you use the cooking water you’ll get a big boost in flavor. You’ll love the results. Let us know how your salsa turns out. Cheers!
Jack Burton says
Last time I made some I deviated from the recipe a little an added some of my cherry tomatoes an some red jalapenos, which gave the whole thing a orange/red color still tasted good though.
JAH says
Way to go Doug, Just made the salsa from our garden here in Oregon as you laid it out, FANTASTIC!
I probably used too much water so simmered it for another 30 minutes. Sweet on the front and wonderfully spicy at the end. Great dish!
Do you have a great recipe for salsa roja.
Thanks JAH
Douglas Cullen says
JAH that’s awesome that it worked for you! Try this recipe for salsa roja https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/easy-salsa-roja/ It’s a thinner salsa that’s better for topping enchiladas than for dipping chips. If you want a dipping salsa, try the Restaurant Salsa https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/restaurant-salsa/ Cheers!
Bryan says
I went all out and used the broiler to roast the peppers and oven to cooks the tomatillo, onion, and garlic rather than boil them. It turned out really good.
Jessj says
Does this really not last longer then 3 days in the fridge? Find that hard to believe. But either way great recipe, made a huge batch since its gotten cold outside and my tomato plant was withering away and huge a bunch of green tomatoes.
S says
Used this as an excellent base for the recipe (used more cilantro, and more chiles). I also simmered it longer than the 20 minutes at the end, and kept scraping the sides to return the tomatillo sugars back into the salsa as it thickened. Came out absolutely perfect!
Karen "SPECIALK" Servo says
Thank you for sharing. Delicious.
Carsten says
Any tips for making this with canned tomatillos? yes, I know. But where I live they are the only option :(
debra says
I used more water than to just cover … did the rest the same but we had it as a tomatillo caldo! With a side of a baked pork chop and Brussel sprouts it was delightful.
we had an abundance of tomatillos in the garden and with winter coming had to bring them in by the buckets. Looking for some recipes I decided to try something a little different…. Your recipe will be made again!
Screw YOU says
He genius how about warning people using your method that this hot mix will explode out of the top of your blender. Go away you Ahole!
Tim says
It’s under blending hot foods 101. I guess you learned your lesson the hard way picante pants. But go ahead and blame the author for your own incompetence.
Wanda I Morales says
I made this salsa verde last year to go with my Mexican chicken taquitos and it is delicious! First time too. I found it to be easy with basic ingredients (luckily I live in an area with a high Hispanic population). We just had it again with chorizo tacos and all I can say its awesome!!! Its a keeper. Could you please direct me where to find a red salsa recipe? Thank you!
And thank you for sharing
Wanda
Darrel J Poppino says
This was my first time making it with this recipe. It came out very well and so tasty! For those not so bright…do allow the tomatillos to cool before placing in the blender. Thanks for the recipe.
Joe Kohan says
Thank you for posting this recipe to make. I made it for the first time and it came out super fantastic. I used 2 Serrano Peppers and 2 Jalapeno Peppers. All the rest of the ingredients I followed according to the recipe. Thank you again. I now have to make another batch because everyone loved it so much.😀
Lela M Jares says
Always looking for perfect recipe
Linda J says
I’m cooking the sauce now . . . It would have been helpful to have a little warning that some people might have an allergic reaction to the raw peppers! I have not cooked with serrano peppers before (jalepenos, yes) and my hands were on fire. Googled that and found soaking them in milk can help. Did that and hands calmed down.
SUGGESTION: Include caution in recipe for novices!
Art says
You can also wash your hands with cornstarch. It soaks up the chili oil from your skin
Amby Burum says
Most people who cook with spice hot peppers recommend wearing gloves when handling them
Larry Button says
Are you serious? This is a recipe for salsa. Not a recipe for COMMON SENSE. Hot peppers are; wait for it… HOT! It seems that most people behind a keyboard these days is super negative and expect others to do their thinking for them. Grow up! (I’m assuming you’re an adult)
Boo Radley says
@Larry Button I’m both laughing and nodding in agreement. The article also fails to issue a warning that onions can make you cry, stoves can get very hot, and if you’re using a knife to cut any of the ingredients severing a limb is a remote possibility.
Jalistair says
If your fingers are on fire that is not an allergic reaction, that simply means the peppers have a good amount of capsaicin. In other words, the hotter the pepper the more capsaicin it has.
thoalex says
Knew when I read it was going to be too much water..
Made it and it was too much water..
Jalistair says
I thought the same thing, so after the first cook I drained a good portion of the water off before blending. Waiting for it to cool down to taste it but it looks thick enough.
Leslie says
Wish I would have thought to do that. I agree, too much water. Now I’m stuck simmering for ages to get it to the right consistency.😕 It’s tasty though!
Chris Rudman says
I made this today to go with chicken enchiladas and it was fantastic. Every bit as good as what I used to get at my favorite Mexican restaurant, Mr. Jalepeno, which unfortunately closed a few years ago. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Sarah says
Great taste! I drained some water before blending and it still came out a little watery. But it worked well with our enchiladas! Thank you so much for the pictures and instructions :)
do bo says
Fantastic recipe. Simple enough to get good results, but plenty of room for nuance to make it your own and really perfect it. Careful adding salt. As you’ll notice in the prep notes – too runny? too thick? too hot? There’s no “too salty?” Cause if it gets too salty, the only option is “add more of everything else!”
Lukas says
I currently have 4 jalapeños and 1 Poblano can I use these peppers instead ?????
Douglas Cullen says
It should turn out well if you replace the serrano peppers with the jalapeño peppers.
Jalistair says
I just put in three jalapeños, two cow horns, and three Anaheims. A pepper is a pepper. It all depends on what flavors you like and how hot you like it. My Anaheim’s are hotter than the jalapeños and give off a very strong pepper smell with the accompanying flavor. The cow horns are simply some spicy peppers that recently became my favorite. By far the hottest of the three. Just remember the salsa rule, if it ain’t spicy it ain’t salsa!
Eric Cat says
Good recipe and useful notes, you and others have helped teach me that frying my salsa is a key finishing step. One tiny editorial quibble; when you say “Add all of the ingredients except the cilantro and salt”, I have to think some literalists are simmering a couple of tablespoons of oil with their veggies, which probably won’t improve the finished product. Otherwise thanks for the recipe and the site, nice stuff.
Shuri says
How much of the boiled water do I use to blend? And about how many tomatillos to jalapeño?
Georgia Villa says
I use 1.5 pounds tomatillos, 3-4 Serrano peppers. It’s a 50/50 chance that they’re hot or mild. I add the tomatillos, rip off stem of serranos, and a half a vadalia onion to a pot cover it with water, boil it, and turn off the heat right away. I let that sit about 10 minutes or so until the skin is peeling a little. You don’t want the tomatillos to pop open. Then I drain it and add everything to the blender including cilantro and 4 garlic cloves. I don’t add extra water when I cook the salsa verde down. Hope this helps with everyone saying it’s too watery and add salt to taste. I wouldn’t go gung ho with the salt because everyone’s salt preferences differ.
Georgia Villa says
I meant I don’t add any water to the blender or the pot when cooking because tomatillos are watery enough. Maybe if making enchiladas you’ll need more water but don’t add it to your salsa
Jacki says
In Australia and I have accidently grown at tomitillo plant – thinking it was a tomato plant.until I saw the papery husks forming.
I have lots of it harvested and I have looked at recipes to use them to make salsa but I was wondering of there are any recipes that last longer than a few days in the fridge.
I have not tried salsa verde before and don’t know whether or not it is sweet tart or spicy. I also have a big lot of jalapino chilli’s in the garden – all green.
Are you able to advise please
Cheers Jacki
Aj says
This should last a very long time in the fridge…all that salt. Mine can last weeks. Interesting aspect of serrano peppers is that they lose heat with long cooking.
I use a good bit more cilantro as per my Mexican cooking person. Also can add a teaspoon of chipotle…canned smoked jalopenia for a little deeper taste.
Try slow cooked sunny up eggs on rice with salsa verde, a wonderful breakfast.
Look at multiple recipes til you get a feel for it.
Jalistair says
Tomitillo’s might just become one of your favorite garden plants! Just google recipes for them or start coming up with some of your own. They are fun to slice up and add to all kinds of things from eggs, to stir fry.
Emily says
Great recipe! Making it for the second time today and like others have mentioned it does come out too watery, but I remedied that that first time I made it by allowing it to simmer for a couple of hours instead of 20 minutes. If you don’t have the time for that, I suggest setting 1/2 cup of the water aside before blending, then adding more if you find it’s too thick so you have better control over it.
David says
At which step do you add the cilantro??
Eli W. says
David,
Add the cilantro right as you are about to blend it.
Laura says
Made this on Sunday afternoon for smoked pulled pork we had already made. Recipe is excellent – here were the changes I made (full disclosure, professional chef here)
1. Used three serranos and one poblano pepper
2. Used two very large cloves of garlic
3. Eliminated cilantro (do not like)
4. Bought 1 3/4 pounds of tomatillos so final husked yield was closer to the 1 1/4 pounds noted in recipe.
5. Added enough filtered water to almost cover.
Cooked about 15 minutes, then strained water and reserved it to see if it would be needed. It wasn’t. Seasoned with salt.
Heated vegetable oil, returned sauce to pan and cooked 10 minutes on simmer.
Added pulled pork to pan and continued cooking until very hot and heated through.
Served with tortillas and sour cream. Husband added Cholula for a little additional heat.
Will definitely make again with these revisions.
Laura says
Totally forgot to mention that I had about 2 teaspoons of dried oregano and the same of ground cumin in the pot with the tomatillos.
Douglas Cullen says
Your revisions sound tasty. I like the addition of the Poblano. Cheers!
Kathryn Soukup says
I made this recipe yesterday two ways. One mild, the other spicy. I was worried about it being too watery so I added less water to the vegetables for the first cook. (Instead of covering the veggies with water I added water about half way) . For the mild I added everything to the blender and thought that it looked too watery. So for the spicy version I took some of the water out before blending. After the second cook both sauces had a great consistency. While I could not taste the spicy version, I LOVED the mild version and my family loved them both! I think next time I’ll still use less water at the beginning and then add all the cooking water to the blender for both versions and just let it simmer longer because there is a lot of flavor in that cooking water. This was the first time for us to grow tomatillos. They are so easy to grow and I’m so glad to have an easy recipe for sauce.
Glenda Guinn says
I Made this and used Green Tomatoes , a Banana Pepper (not all the seeds,I don’t like very Hot) so really use any pepper you want, and the rest ingredients and it was really good. I learned the hard way also on Handling Hot Peppers.Did not KNOW if you are going to handle a Lot to wear gloves. This was a while back i was Canning Jalapeno’s and it had me crying it was bad, it’s the oil of the Peppers that are hot. I Googled and tried different things to help with getting it off . Washing hands with Buttermilk , Sour Cream were ok but it still was burning so i tried last resort ” Peeing on my hands ” which was on Google and Guess What it was the best at taking the oil off . When yur in pain yu will try .
Doris says
Never says when the cilantro is added. Please expand on that.
Mike says
Hi my salsa vedrde is bitter is it normal ? ( I use tomatillos in can )
Ernie R says
Hey Mike,
Yes sir,
I am pretty sure thats the reason why. I think those tomatillos are already pre cooked. So now your cooking them twice and losing the main flavor.
Tessa says
Great tasting salsa! My first batch was a double batch and 2nd was a quadruple batch (garden is still pumping out tomatillos). I used my serranos seeds and all which makes for a very tasty, but spicy final product. If you don’t like heat, be sure to remove the seeds and/or step down to a less spicy pepper. Looking forward to freezing this and eating it for weeks to come, but I know it won’t last long.
Note: if you use all the cooking water like I did, I found it takes quite a bit of extra cooking to get the consistency right. I didn’t want to discard it because it has all the flavor from boiling the veggies. It is worth the wait though.
TamTam says
This salsa turned out AMAZING! After reading the comments I opted to add water as I needed it while blending (I didn’t add much).
It reminds me of authentic salsa verde I’ve had in Mexico. Highly recommend, I will be adding this to my recipe book.
Hilda Garcia says
Loved it! its so delicious, I just put 6 Serrano and its HOT but I love it..
I always make red salsas or other green ones but I have never simmered them in oil after wards, I do taste the difference. Thanks
laurie mickey says
I was looking for something to do with a mountain of green tomatoes. This was it! So delicious. I reduced the onion to about 1/4, added a variety of chiles. I charred 1/2 of the tomatoes under the broiler which really improved the flavor. I also added some smoked paprika and chipotle for smokiness. A pinch of baking soda and some sugar reduced the acidity. Better than any store bought salsa verde. This recipe is a KEEPER!
Stevie Five One says
Just made a large batch which tastes fantastic and ive stored it in steriled sealed bottles – any idea how long it keep in my store cupboard?
Ernie R says
WOW!!!! Amazing Flavor!!! Follow these steps and you will be amazed!!! My vegetarian enchiladas have never tasted so good!!! YOU GUYS FREAKING ROCK!! HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021!!!
Ariella says
If you really want to make this amazing, simmer with pork in it for multiple hours. 🤤
Douglas Cullen says
That will definitely make it amazing. Our recipe for pork chops in salsa verde is similar https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/pork-chops-in-salsa-verde/
Sebastian M says
Great recipe, very versatile and easy to prepare.
rv says
I have basically been making this salsa for years with great results, and this recipe really codifies the process to yield a more consistent, tasty salsa. Many recipes call for broiling or grilling the ingredients, which you would think might add flavor, but grilling produces much more uneven and inconsistent results without much benefit to the flavor. When making salsa verde, remember that it will seem far too thin while hot but if it will thicken as it cools and will set like Jello if you don’t add enough water which seems to alter the taste (as well as the texture). My wife likes the too thick “tomatillo Jello” though.
Selina Gomez says
Hi.. This looks amazing. The best part is that it is sonicely explained and the whole process will take around 40 minutes, I am surely gonna try this. Thanks for sharing.s
Wanda says
Hello Douglas,
This is my second time making your recipe and this time I made a double batch. It is a great salsa. My husband and I really enjoy it with my Mexican tacos. Again thanks for sharing this deliciousness.
Do you a recipe for red salsa?
Thanks,
Wanda
Angela says
Wanda, here is the link for “red salsa” Enjoy!
https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/easy-salsa-roja/
Annag says
This version of salsa verde is omg delicious! It must be the frying which makes it stand out from the competition.
I’ve used it on eggs, pork chops, and for dipping.
My husband wanted to know how it tasted so much better than versions we’ve had elsewhere. I’m back for my second round of making this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper.
Liz says
Try this recipe for the first time. The recipe says “Blend the cooked ingredients and the cilantro with the cooking water until smooth. (About 30 seconds)”.
Did you literally use the water you boiled with in the recipe or did you take out the veggies and then just add water as needed?
Douglas Cullen says
We use the water we boil the veggies in. It has extra flavor. Hope this helps. Cheers!
Amelia says
Loved this. Thoughts on roasting/broiling the tomatillos before boiling? Also thoughts on throwing an ancho or poblano in there?
Alice says
Thank you for this recipe. I’m not sure if you mean 1/2 tsp salt, or 1 and a half.
Please reply.
Thanks from NY!
Angela says
Alice, For clarification, it is one and a half teaspoon of salt.
Alice says
Delicious, but since I’m a huge fan of lime, I added some lime juice.
Douglas Cullen says
Excellent! Salsa is meant to be personalized to your tastes. Glad the recipe worked for you. Cheers!
Vicki Cobb says
Can you preserve this by canning?
Sonya L Reeves says
This is the third time I’ve made this salsa, absolutely delicious!! The men in my family like heat, so I was challenged to find a recipe that’s tasty AND hot, this fit the bill. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe.
Sonya
Douglas Cullen says
Glad your family liked the recipe! This roasted jalapeño recipe might be a winner too https://mexicanfoodjournal.com/roasted-jalapeno-salsa/ Cheers!
Becky says
I am in process of making this
But i dont have cilantro
Is there an alternative?
Cpadge says
This is so delicious. I just made it today and can’t wait to try it on so many things. And thanks for the tips too. I blended mine a little too much and it was runny but not after following your tip.
I’m so excited to have found your site. I love Mexican food!
Karen says
My Italian husband of 37 years does not like Mexican food; he does not like any heat (in his food). The closest he gets to heat is my roasted red peppers. I drain the juice from the roasted peppers and serve the cleaned-up peppers in their own juice; they are amazing!!! I LOVE Mexican food but have been afraid to make it. My sister told me she takes white rice and mixes it with a jar of red salsa for easy Spanish rice :( No thanks!! This blog has given me total confidence to make my own Mexican Dishes :) I love that your instructions include ways to decrease heat and ways to problem solve. Best Blog, ever!
Julie says
Can this recipe be canned?
Sharon Alvarez says
This is so good. The best green salsa I have tried. I do it this way and sometimes in place of the salt I use Knorr chicken bouillon. So good. Do not skip.the seasoning part it enhancers the flavor so.much.
sala verde cambe says
Muchas gracias x la ayuda, me ha sido de gran utilidad.
Robert says
(Seasoning) chances the salsa verde from ok to the bomb! Hot oil make everything better.
Dianne Leon says
This recipe makes the best salsa. I garden, so l’ve been making extra large batches of this for a couple of years. I also use this salsa for chicken and shrimp enchilada sauce and add to many soup recipes to add flavor. I freeze in quart bags to use through out the year. Thank you so much 💓
Bruce says
I had fun making this salsa and it tastes great. The recipe says to add all the ingredients except the cilantro to the pot. Might want to say “except for the cilantro and the oil.” Adding water to just cover the ingredients is confusing since several of them float. Maybe specify a certain amount to start with and then adjust it later, if needed.
Tyler says
It isn’t super important how much you cook with even with “too much water” the food still cooks fine and you can pour it off at the end. I fill until everything is just a bit floating and can move in the pot.
About half way through simmering though i sort of stirred what was in the pot and flipped a few tomatillos that had some bright green spots on top still.
I am curious though how much of the cooking water was in the blender. Mine was 4 cups and that felt like too much.
I used a 2.8qt pot, i think, to cook the ingredients.
Next time I will pour out some amount of water and try with less in the blender. Maybe the recipe author can chime in though to eliminate a couple rounds of guess and check.
Caren barnes says
Hi I want to make and substitute for 2 jars of ready made salsa . How much sauce is there in 1 recipe ?
Pat Seyfferle says
When do we add the cilantro? And if cilantro tastes like soap to me, can I substitute parsley plus lime juice? Or something else?
BILL HOOD says
Please, Please, PLEASE take all the resource-sucking ads off your site.
HollyB says
We grow our own tomatoes and serrano pepper here in our North Louisiana yard garden. This is my second time to make your Salsa Verde recipe. First time I was too scared of it being too spicy, so I only used 2 seeded serranos. This time I followed the recipe exactmente! It is SO GOOD, and So Easy! Thank you very, very much. And keep up the delicious “work! “
HollyB says
Tried to type “Tomatillos” -NOT tomatoes, dang autocorrect!
BikeWalkBakeBarb says
How much is a “sprig” of cilantro as you would use it? I made this once already and loved it. Sort of guessed at the cilantro quantities and kept it a bit low, since not everyone in my household loves it when it’s strong. Making it again (my tomatillo plants are growing like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors, but yay for that!) and thought I’d ask.
Angela Daniels says
I made exactly like the recipe and it was spectacular- thanks!
Diana Overturf says
I believe that lime juice is essential. Makes it all come together. Delicious! Thanks!
Amy Utter says
Easy and “muy rico”!!
Tammy Schaeffer says
Thank you for an amazing recipe! So delicious! Made it this evening and topped it on an egg, spinach and mushroom casserole I had made. (I could’ve eaten it plain, straight out of the pan!) I used jalapeños, unfortunately, I didn’t grow Serrano this year! One question, is this suitable for canning, do you know? I have a plethora of tomatillo’s, and am expecting lots of jalapeños! Again, thank you for an easy and delicious recipe!
Susana says
Can I substitute the serranos for poblanos? How many poblanos do I need?
Allison says
Just made this as our weekly veggie box has brought us tomatillos for a couple weeks and cilantro this week.
Looks like spring in a jar. 🫙
Chuck Martins says
This is a really good recipe that I have barely adapted for my household. Four normal-heat serrano chiles is fine for a dipping/spooning salsa but a bit picante for a sauce to cook with in my household. Typically I use two serranos and bump the heat if necessary with a bottled hot sauce from my fridge. I usually add a fat teaspoon of chicken better than boullion and I fry the sauce in lard.
I have taken to charring my ingredients over a flame when I make this salsa. I just love it that way. I have yet to wish I hadn’t done so.
So, I guess what I am making is an animal with a different stripe, but I like it with chips, spooned on eggs or with a burrito, etc… It also performs well as a base for my chile verde which gets some other ingredients added in with the browned pork and salsa. Enchiladas are beautiful with this salsa- turkey is my favorite, but chicken and pork are really good, too.
RECAP: I cut back on the serranos, i char the ingredients before cooking them in liquid rather than use them raw/boiled, add a fat tsp of chicken better than bouillon.