Salsa verde is a traditional condiment served with nearly every dish in nearly every restuarant. It is more common than red salsa.
Salsa verde is a traditional condiment for many Mexican dishes: chips, tlayudas, chicharrones, tacos, quesadillas, tortas, pambazos, anything. Or, even use it to stuff tamales. This is great as a condiment or as a dip and will surly be a hit at your next party as something a little different from the same old red salsa. Salsa verde is similar to red salsa, except that instead of using red tomatoes, it uses the small green tomatillo.
Tomatillos are native to Mexico and are available at most grocery stores and Latin American stores. Tomatillos have a papery husk that should be discarded before using. After discarding the husk, it is also necessary to wash the fruits well to eliminate the sticky residue that keeps the husk on.
Serrano chilies originated in the highland mountains of central Mexico. These small green peppers are rated at 10,000-23,000 Scoville making them about 3-4 times hotter than the jalapeño. If spicy is not your thing, then you can remove the seeds before using, or substitute a jalapeño or some Tabasco green hot sauce which is milder than the red. If you like it hot, use more chilies-one of the older vegetable vendors recommended at least 5 serranos for every ten tomatillos.
If you don't want to, roasting the tomatillos and the chilies is not necessary. The roasting really does add a deeper flavor to the sauce and is highly recommended.
The avocado in this recipe is not necessary and is not used by everyone. The avocado adds a nice texture and richness to this salsa. If you cannot find ripe avocados they can also be substituted with a 1/4 cup of whipping cream.
Salsa Verde
10-15 tomatillos, halved
1 large serrano chili
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 avocado, quartered
2 limes
salt and pepper to taste
1. Char the skin of the chili either in a flame or under a broiler. Place the charred chili in a paper bag for 5 minutes. Rinse off all of the blackened skin. Chop chili. Remove seeds for milder flavor.
Warning: Don't rub your eyes!
2. Under a broiler or on a grill, roast dehusked, washed, and halved tomatillos until they are slightly caramelized.
3. Add tomatillos, chilies, onion, and garlic to a blender. Whiz until smooth.
4. Add juice of one lime, cilantro, and avocado. Pulse until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
