Fresh Salsa Verde (With Raw Tomatillos)
I love many versions of salsa verde, but my latest favourite is a fresh one made with raw ingredients. I prefer this raw version because it has a brighter flavour and a fresher taste. In this post, I will share my fresh salsa verde recipe that uses raw tomatillos and is insanely delicious!
If you have some tomatillos on hand, I recommend trying this raw green salsa recipe. It’s super easy to make and comes together in just a few minutes. It’s an absolute crowd-pleaser – made with fresh tomatillos, jalapeño, lime, cilantro, and a few other ingredients. It’s also naturally vegan and healthy, which is always a plus!
Fresh Salsa Verde Ingredients
For this fresh salsa verde recipe, you’ll need:
- Tomatillos
- Jalapeños or other green chilli peppers
- Onion
- Garlic
- Fresh cilantro leaves – or, if you don’t like cilantro, you can substitute it with parsley. I’ve tried it and it works great too.
- Lime juice
- Sea salt
- Light agave nectar – optional, but I recommend it for enhancing the flavour and balancing the sour taste of salsa
Raw tomatillos are the main ingredient of this salsa verde and are responsible for its unique flavour. They have a slightly tart and tangy flavour with a hint of citrus. They are very mildly sweet and fruity, perfect for fresh savoury dishes like this one. While well-known in their native Mexico, tomatillos are still a relatively unknown fruit in Europe.
What is a tomatillo?
Tomatillo belongs to the same plant family as the tomato and is known as the Mexican husk tomato. However, it’s not a type of tomato; it’s a species of its own, more closely related to the Peruvian strawberry (which, is, funnily enough, not a strawberry).
Tomatillos are small, round fruits encased in a papery husk. They can range in colour from green to yellow or even purple.
Both tomatillo and Peruvian strawberry belong to the genus Physalis, which is famous for its fruits protected by a lantern-shaped husk. Their flavour profiles are similar, with a slightly tart and tangy taste. However, tomatillos are less sweet than Peruvian strawberries, making them ideal for savoury dishes like this salsa verde or various salads.
Can tomatillos be eaten raw?
Absolutely yes! Raw tomatillos are delicious and many people prefer them fresh over cooked or roasted. I love adding them to salads or dips because they add so much freshness. Their slightly tangy taste balances out richer flavours and adds a refreshing crunch to any dish.
How to make salsa verde
Follow these few easy steps, and your delicious fresh salsa verde with raw tomatillos will be ready in no time.
Step 1: Prep the ingredients
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos, wash them if needed (the fruit can be a bit sticky under the husk) and slice them.
- Peel and slice the onion, garlic, and jalapeños.
- Remove the piths with seeds from the jalapeños for a less spicy salsa (optional).
- Pick the cilantro leaves from the stems. You can use some stems too if you don’t mind their texture.
Step 2: Blend the ingredients
- Add the prepared ingredients to a food processor, along with a generous pinch of salt, freshly squeezed juice of one lime and a spoon of agave syrup.
- Process until you reach your desired consistency. For a chunky salsa, pulse a few times. For a smoother salsa, process until the mixture is almost smooth.
Step 3: Serve
- Pour the salsa into a bowl and serve with tortilla chips.
- For homemade tortilla chips, bake homemade tortillas in the oven, drizzled with olive oil, until crispy.
- Serving suggestions: Use this salsa as a topping for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or as a dip for tortilla chips.
I can’t believe I haven’t shared my homemade tortilla recipe yet! I’ll be sure to post it soon.
Until then, give these keto flaxseed tortillas a try, those are a real treat! Check out my flax tortilla recipe here. You can use them fresh, or sliced and baked to get a crunchy texture.
Salsa Verde FAQ
Can I make a cooked salsa verde with this recipe?
Yes, if you prefer a cooked salsa verde, you can modify this recipe. Here are two options:
Option 1: Boiled Salsa Verde
- Follow the recipe to make the raw salsa verde.
- Boil the salsa for 5 minutes or so. This will mellow the flavours and pasteurise the salsa too, so it’ll be good for longer if stored in the fridge.
- Let it cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator.
Option 2: Roasted Salsa Verde
- Roast the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and jalapeños in a preheated oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 15-20 minutes, or until softened and slightly browned.
- Let the vegetables cool slightly, then add them to a food processor along with salt, lime juice, and a teaspoon of honey or agave nectar (optional).
- Blend until you reach your desired consistency.
- Both methods will result in a delicious salsa verde, but the cooked versions offer a different flavour profile and texture.
How long will salsa verde stay fresh in the fridge?
You can keep this raw salsa verde in the fridge for 24 hours or so. I wouldn’t keep it for much longer than that because of raw onions and peppers in it. However, if you don’t eat it, you can always simmer it in a pan for five minutes or so – that way it will be good for at least a couple of days in the fridge.
To maximise the shelf life of your salsa verde, always store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you want to extend the shelf life even further, you can freeze the salsa in ice cube trays or small containers.
Is salsa verde very spicy?
Original salsa verde can be quite spicy due to the hot peppers. However, you can easily adjust the heat level by using fewer or milder peppers. Removing the seeds with ribs from the peppers helps too.
If you prefer a completely mild salsa, try substituting the hot peppers with sweet green bell peppers. That way, you’ll still get some of the pepper flavour without the spiciness.
Do I have to use coriander in salsa verde?
If you don’t like coriander, feel free to make your salsa verde without it! You can try some other aromatic herbs instead: fresh parsley leaves, celery leaves and green basil leaves all fit in this kind of fresh salsa recipe, so you can experiment and decide what you like best.
Salsa verde equipment
To make this salsa verde, you’ll need:
- A knife and a cutting board
- Food processor
- Glass jars for storing
- Ice moulds for freezing (optional)
Fresh Salsa Verde (With Raw Tomatillos)
This fresh salsa verde with raw tomatillos is super delicious and easy to make! Try my recipe and enjoy your delicious homemade salsa verde!
Ingredients
- 250 g tomatillos
- 40 g jalapeños (4 pcs fresh)
- 40 g onions (half a small head)
- 15 g garlic (3 large cloves)
- 30 - 40 g fresh cilantro leaves (a handful, or to taste)
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp light agave nectar (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the outer husks of the tomatillos. Rinse them if needed, the fruits can be sticky under the husks.
- Slice the tomatillos.
- Peel and slice the onion, garlic, and jalapeños.
- Separate the cilantro leaves from their stems, chop the stems if you are using them.
- Put everything into a food processor and add fresh lime juice and a spoon of agave nectar.
- Process until the desired consistency. You can leave it chunkier if that’s what you prefer, or process it longer until it gets smooth.
- Serve your fresh salsa verde with tortilla chips or use it in tacos, enchiladas or any dishes you like.
Notes
Use more jalapeños if you like your salsa verde more spicy, or less for a milder salsa.
For an even milder taste, you can remove the piths that contain seeds from the jalapeños. The seeds themselves are not the spicy part of chilli peppers, but the pith (technically a plant placenta) that contains them is very spicy because it contains higher levels of capsaicin.
If you don’t like cilantro, you can use other fresh aromatic herbs such as parsley, celery leaves or even basil.
To make homemade tortilla chips, cut a few tortillas into 6 wedges. Drizzle with oil and bake at 200-225°C (390-435°F) for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.
