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!
Simple and Delicious
Our Salsa verde recipe is really easy to make and the ingredients are available at almost every supermarket. You can use tomatillos that look like small green tomatoes and are covered in a papery husk or the larger green tomatoes, tomates verdes.
The tomatillos in the picture already have the papery husks removed. The taste is tart and vibrant and adds a lot of pop to any dish that you use it on.
The recipe calls for three serrano chiles but you can use fewer if you want to reduce the heat. We like it on the hot side.
Salsa is Healthy
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
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 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.
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. 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.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt to taste. Now you have the perfect salsa verde!
Problems with your salsa? Don’t love 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: 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 to 2 teaspoons agave syrup.
- Too bland? Try adding more salt 1/4 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.
What are you going to use it on?
Chicken enchiladas, tortilla chips, pork, chops, chilaquiles, and many more dishes pair well with this salsa. Be adventurous.
Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb. tomatillos or green tomatoes
- 1 white onion
- 4 serrano chiles
- 4 cloves garlic
- 12 sprigs cilantro
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 1/2 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: 1/2 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 :)
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)
thoalex says
Knew when I read it was going to be too much water..
Made it and it was too much water..
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.
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.
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!