Tomatillo Salsa

The fresh amazing taste of this Tomatillo Salsa comes from the fire-roasted grilled flavor, and it has just the right kick of heat. People adore each and every bite of homemade salsa with all kinds of Mexican food like tacos, nachos, and taquitos.

Grab a big bag of tortilla chips, and wait for lots of compliments, crunching, and munching, as people dip into this roasted tomatillo salsa recipe...     

Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

Some people will call this Tomatillo salsa verde recipe (aka green salsa) this recipe has some ripe tomatoes so it is not pure green, if you want it all green omit the red tomatoes and add in two more tomatillos or use some green tomatoes from your garden. You will need 6 simple ingredients.

• white onion (peeled root end intact)
• your choice of green chiles (serranos, jalapenos, Hatch, etc.)
• ripe tomatoes (red or green)
• whole garlic cloves (peeled)
• medium tomatillos (husk removed, washed, and dried)
• sea salt

Clean and rinse all the fresh vegetables in cool water. For the tomatillos, just peel off the thin papery husk and stem. Wash in cool water, and dry.

Chiles will vary in their heat, I always recommend adding just one chile at first, and then add more to raise the heat level as you go. Taste a little piece of the pepper to check the spiciness of each pepper.

Cook The Salsa Ingredients

There are 3 ways to cook the veggies, grill, oven roast, or cook on the stovetop. First, pick a method to cook the vegetables, this adds flavor. I prefer outdoor grilling, but that isn't always possible with the weather!

Outdoor Fire Grilled Method

Set the whole chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, peeled onion sliced in half, and peeled garlic either directly on the grill grate or a stainless grill tray over a hot grill. Keep turning all the vegetables to get grill marks on all sides. This will take about 6-8 minutes. Allow the vegetables to blacken in spots before turning, and remove off heat to a platter once they begin to soften to cool.

Oven Roasted Broil Method

Adjust the oven rack to about 5 inches below the broiler heating element. Turn on the broiler. Place the whole chiles, tomatoes cut in half, tomatillos cut in half, onion peeled and cut in half, and peeled garlic cloves directly on a large rimmed sheet pan in a 425-degree F oven for 10-15 minutes. (I recommend not using a foil lining on the pan as the acid in tomatoes reacts with foil and can affect the flavor!) Allow the vegetables to darken and blister in spots, check the pan and rotate half way through, then remove the baking sheet pan from the oven to cool.

Stovetop Grill Pan Method

Heat a cast iron grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and sear the tomato halves, whole chiles, peeled garlic cloves, onion halves, and tomatillo halves until dark spots and blisters appear. This adds a lot of flavor and cooks the ingredients.

Process The Salsa

Remove stems and seeds from the chiles, and don’t rinse them. (Remove the skin from Hatch chiles if you use those chiles as the skin is tough and inedible). There is a lot of heat in the seeds of chiles and that can be too hot, so I recommend removing them.

Add all the vegetables, pan juices if any, and sea salt into a food processor fitted with a steel metal blade, chop on a cutting board, or grind in a molcajete. Pulse and blend until chunky and use the chopped mix and blender juices in your salsa. 

Serve roasted tomatillo salsa in a bowl with tortilla chips, on tacos, carnitas, or with grilled chicken quesadillas. It can be served at room temperature or chilled from the refrigerator.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use it within 5 days.

Optional Flavor: Add some chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice for additional flavor! Pulse until the cilantro is chopped. The salt and lime juice add great authentic flavors!

Fresh Chiles Top Tips

PRO TIP: Taste a little piece of your chile peppers to check the spiciness. Slice a tiny sliver of each one, then add another chile to raise the heat level as you wish.

• Choose bright green glossy peppers from the store.
• Chiles should be firm with medium to thick flesh.
• Avoid soft spots or cuts these are signs the chiles will spoil faster.
• The Scoville Scale measures the relative heat of hot peppers to each other and can help you pick the right chile for your recipe.
• Store unwashed fresh chiles up to 5 days refrigerated in a plastic bag.

So how hot are peppers and which ones to choose? Use ones from your garden or find them at your local Farmers Market. All chili peppers will vary in their heat as a natural part of how they grow and mature.

• Anaheim Chile Peppers - How Hot? Lower in heat, relatively mildly hot pepper. When mature, it turns deep red and is referred to as chile Colorado or California red chile. Anaheims are popular in salsas and dishes from the American Southwest. The Anaheim is normally a mildly hot pepper, only tipping the Scoville scale at around 500 to 2,500 Scoville heat units.
• Poblano Peppers aka Ancho Pepper - How Hot? These are mildly spicy hot large and heart-shaped poblano and common in Mexican dishes such as chiles rellenos. Scoville heat units: 1,000 to 2,000. At maturity, the poblano turns dark red-brown and can be dried, at which point it’s referred to as an ancho or mulato. Anchos have a rich, raisin-like sweetness. The high yield of flesh to skin makes anchos great for sauces.
• Hatch Chile Peppers - How hot? Lower in heat, most Hatch chiles score between 1,500 and 2,500 units—about the same level of heat as poblano or Anaheim peppers. But they can vary, some are really hot!

If you want more Hatch Chile recipes, you will find over  80+ amazing New Mexico Hatch Chile recipes and tons of pro tip on how to roast, prep, and keep them in the freezer. Hatch Chiles are easy to roast at home plus learn everything about Hatch Chiles you would ever want to know!

• Jalapeño Peppers - How Hot? Hotter, this Mexican pepper is typically picked while still green. If allowed to ripen more, they will turn red and take on a slightly fruity flavor. This Mexican pepper is typically plucked from the vine while still green. Jalapeños are a tasty ingredient commonly used in salsa, and sauces, and are even pickled. Jalapeños are around 2,500-8,000 on the Scoville scale and are quite hot.
• Chipotles - How Hot? Hotter, and a dried jalapeño is called a chipotle. Chipotles are sold both canned and dried in a bag, smoke-dried chipotles come in two varieties: meco (mellow) and moritas (spicier). Smoky spicy chipotles are great in salsas, sauces, escabeche, and adobo and score a Scoville heat unit index of 3,500 to 8,000.
• Serrano Peppers - How Hot? Hot. A small short tiny pepper, that packs a punch of heat. Serranos are common in Mexican and Thai cooking and have a rating of 6,000 to 23,000 Scoville heat units.

Tomatillos Top Tips & FAQs

Tomatillos are sometimes called Mexican green tomatoes or jam berries and have a tart, fruity flavor. They are easier to find nowadays in local markets and can be found year-round most often in Latin American grocery stores. In Southern California where I live, they are always available in my local store and a staple in my raised kitchen garden...

Overall, the tomatillo flavor is bright, and the interior texture is denser and less watery than tomatoes. Cooking helps soften the thick skin and brings out even more flavor, grilling is even better and the best way to cook them.

The green "papery" husk on tomatillos comes right off very easily, and when you rinse them under cool water, it helps to remove the slight "stickiness" of the tomatillos.

More Mexican Food Condiment Recipes

Pickled Red Onions for Mexican food are just like what they serve you in restaurants. Quick pickled red onions keep in the fridge for 3-4 weeks to enjoy in all kinds of ways, on tacos, salads, sandwiches, and more.

Avocado Salsa (aka Taco Sauce) is great to drizzle on Mexican foods like tacos, burritos, taquitos or served with tortilla chips as a dip.

Guacamole can be made in a molcajete (a traditional ancient cooking tool) or in any bowl with just a couple of forks. Scoop with crunchy tortilla chips, and enjoy on tacos, enchiladas, and taquitos for dinner or on game-day!

More Mexican Food Recipes

Wondering what Mexican dish to serve with your salsa recipe? Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole, tacos, tamales, taquitos. Or whip up this easy Taco Salad recipe loaded with all the best Mexican food toppings and Catalina dressing. Plus get my two secret ingredients for the best taco meat!

Authentic Mexican Street Corn aka elotes are fire-grilled and brushed with a creamy cilantro sauce sprinkled with Cotija cheese and dusted with chile powder.