Cooking on the Mayan Riviera: Roasted Salsa Verde
So my fridge is starting to look better with a few things in there ready to be pulled out and used in various dishes. This roasted tomatillos sauce known as salsa verde (green sauce) is a useful one to have and goes particularly well with chilaquiles that I tend to make here regularly.
I get the tomatillos at a market that sets up in our resort village twice a week with fresh fruits and vegetables from around here, all organic, non GMO, as natural as can be. Tomatillos are little green tomatoes encased in a papery husk that must be removed before using. The tomatoes themselves feel sticky to the touch and need to be rinsed well as well. Choose tomatillos that are bright green, firm to the touch and unbruised. These will not ripen and become red like regular tomatoes, they stay green throughout. Tomatillos are tart and fresh and make a lovely tangy and spicy sauce.
Mexican salsa
To make the sauce put the tomatillos whole on a baking sheet together with a jalapeno or another chili pepper, an onion and a few garlic cloves and broil the whole thing a few inches below the heat until they are charred in spots. Then everything goes into a blender and blended to a saucy consistency. Couldn’t be simpler. Depending on how spicy you want it, remove the seeds from the hot peppers or leave them in.
Tomatillos (image credit)
I intend to use this sauce to make chilaquiles in the next couple of days, watch for the recipe coming up. Here are some other ways to use it:
- huevos rancheros
- as salsa dip for tortillas
- to flavour soups
- with enchiladas
- with tacos
- with scrambled eggs and tortillas
- in salad dressings
- with avocados
Enjoy.
Salsa Verde and Salsa Roja
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
1-2 jalapeno or serrano chile peppers
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, quartered
A handful of cilantro leaves and stems
Water if needed to thin out the sauce
Salt to taste
Directions:
Husk and wash the tomatillos and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Add the hot peppers, garlic and onion.
Broil a few inches below the heat for about 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are charred in spots.
Remove from the oven and let cool a while.
Pull the stems off the peppers and remove seeds if you wish. The sauce is spicier with the seeds.
Transfer the ingredients into a blender adding all the liquids that accumulated in the pan.
Add the parsley and some salt and blend to a sauce consistency, adding water if necessary to thin it it out.
Taste and add salt as needed.
Transfer the sauce to a jar, cover and keep refrigerated until needed.
4 Comments
I do this for a few differe nt pepper sauces as well. Always peel the veg though. Worth the time to skip the yucky spots.
Good idea, love salsa with various vegetables.
Dina, it sounds like you are having so much fun cooking in Mexico. And what an incredible treat to have all of that fresh, organic food brought right to you in the resort. Amazing. I love salsa verde, and this summer, for the first time I grew tomatillos so that I could make my own. It was learning curve, and next year I’ll do better, I hope. Thanks for sharing this recipe and your wonderful experiences In Mexico.
Hi Colleen, you are growing your own tomatillos? how fun. Thanks for checking in with the blog, love having you here. We are having fun, great weather, wonderful beaches and special local foods. No complaints.