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?
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amygdala says
Sometimes making salsa is trial and error. Pro Tip: Let the invisible hand guide you when reading the instructions, and you won’t fall into a Depression.
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