Mexico · 25 min · Vegan · Sauce & seasoning · For beginners
Salsa Verde
In German: Grüne Enchilada-Sauce · In English: Green Enchilada Sauce
For 4 servings · US units
Roasted tomatillos, jalapeño and cilantro: bright, green and as hot as you like
Roast tomatillos until they slump and turn olive green just once, and you'll understand why this salsa never lasts long: it's tangy, fresh with cilantro, and the heat is entirely up to you. It's on the table in 25 minutes and works any time of year. Add a little broth and some roasted Anaheim peppers, and it becomes a sauce for enchiladas, too.
Ingredients
- 8¾ ozhusked, rinsed, stem end removed (about 5–6 medium)A green, tomato-like fruit wrapped in a papery husk, firm and distinctly tart, and the base of many green salsas.Substitute: Unripe green tomatoes with a little lime juice come closest in acidity and colour, but the flavour is flatter and less fruity, and the sauce turns out more watery. Physalis are too sweet to serve as a substitute.Read more
- 1stemmed, seeded if desired; serrano works too; adjust to taste for heatMedium-sized green chilli from Mexico, thick-fleshed and juicy, with a fresh, moderate heat.Substitute: Other fresh green chillies of medium heat work well, such as serrano, which is somewhat hotter, or sturdy green chillies from an Asian grocer used more sparingly. Mild Turkish long green peppers give a similar freshness but little heat.Read more
- 1onionwhite or yellow, roughly chopped
- 2 clovesgarlicpeeled
- ⅓ ozleaves and upper stemsThe fresh leaves of the coriander plant, with a bright, citrusy and slightly peppery taste.Substitute: There is no true substitute. Flat-leaf parsley, perhaps with a little lime zest, adds colour and green freshness but not cilantro's distinctive citrusy note.Read more
- ½ tspsaltadjust to taste
- 1 tbsplimefreshly squeezed, added when blending (optional)
- 4for the enchilada sauce version: broiled, peeled, seeded (optional)A long, pale green chile of the New Mexico family, mild and fresh-grassy, usually roasted and peeled before use.Substitute: The closest match is long, mild green Turkish peppers from a Turkish grocer, which can be roasted and peeled the same way but are thinner-walled and somewhat less aromatic. Poblanos are a good substitute for stuffing, though they taste darker and earthier and are usually a little hotter. A green bell pepper with a small mild green chile approximates the shape and heat, but the characteristic chile flavour is largely missing.Read more
- 1 tbspolive oilfor sautéing the vegetables (optional)
- 1 cupvegetable broththins the sauce for enchiladas (optional)
- ½ tspcuminground (optional)
- ½ tspOreganodried (optional)
Method
- Husk and trim the tomatillosPeel the tomatillos out of their papery husks, rinse them well and cut out the stem end.
- Prep the jalapeñoStem the jalapeño and seed it if you like. If you want it milder, take out the seeds and the ribs.
- Roast the vegetablesSpread the tomatillos on a baking sheet, along with the jalapeño and garlic if you like. Roast everything in the oven at about 390 °F (400 °F) or under the broiler for 10 to 20 minutes, until the tomatillos are olive green and charred in spots.
- Chop onion and roasted vegWhile that's going, roughly chop the onion. Once the jalapeño and garlic come out of the oven, give them a rough chop as well.
- Blend the salsaPut the tomatillos, onion, jalapeño and garlic into a blender with the cilantro and salt, add a squeeze of lime juice if you like, and blend. Or crush everything in a molcajete instead.
- Taste and adjust the heatTaste the salsa and adjust the heat with more jalapeño and the seasoning with more salt.
- Serve or storeServe right away, or keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will last for a few days.
Tips and variations
Instead of roasting, you can cover the tomatillos, jalapeño, onion and garlic with water and simmer them for 6 to 8 minutes, until they turn a dull olive green. For the molcajete version, finely chop the onion, jalapeño, garlic and cilantro, crush them with the salt into a paste, then work in the chopped roasted tomatillos. For more bite, add the onion and garlic raw rather than cooking them. A serrano instead of the jalapeño brings more heat, so add the chile a quarter at a time until it's where you want it. To turn it into enchilada sauce, sauté the vegetables in olive oil instead of roasting them, add roasted, peeled Anaheim peppers, and blend everything smooth with vegetable broth, cumin and Mexican oregano.
Allergens
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Cereals containing gluten
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
