Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa (Salsa Verde)

Tomatillo green chili salsa in a mason jar with a spoon next to bowls of lime wedges and cilantro.

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Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa (Salsa Verde)

This homemade tomatillo green chili salsa is tangy and bright with a touch of spice, also known as salsa verde. It is SO much better than store-bought.

Prep Time5

Cook Time18

Total Time23

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: carnitas, mexican, salsa, sauce, tacos, tomatillo

Servings: Cups

Calories: 53kcal

Author: Ali Mairet

Equipment

1 Immersion Stick Blender (or a food processor)
1 Saucepan (1 quart to 1 gallon capacity)

Ingredients

½ pound Tomatillos
1 whole Fresh Jalapeño Pepper
½ White or Yellow Onion
2 cloves Fresh Garlic
½ cup Water
½ cup Pork Stock or Water (If you make pulled pork, save the stock for this)
¼ teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro Leaves

Instructions

Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse them under water, then add them to the saucepan.
Cut the stem off the jalapeño, split it in half, dispose of the seeds, then chop the halves into half-inch chunks before adding them to the pot.
Peel the outer skin from the half onion then cut it in half so that it is a quarter size of a whole onion before adding it to the saucepan.
Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a chefs knife. Remove their peels then add to the pot.
Add the pork stock (if using) and water to the pot and simmer over medium high heat for 17-18 minutes.
Add the freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt.
Check to confirm the ingredients have softened by poking them with a fork or knife. They should show no resistance when poked. Remove the pan from heat.
Start to blend the ingredients with an immersion stick blender by pulsing it on and off for 3-second intervals 4-5 times. This is a small batch, so you might need to tilt the pot and move the immersion stick blender to a different area of the pot between pulses. You are trying to maintain a slightly chunky texture. (You can also use a food processor)
Taste the sauce to see if it might need a touch more kosher salt. Add the cilantro leaves.
Blend with the stick blender for 2 more 3-second pulses to chop the cilantro into smaller pieces while combining them into the salsa.
The tomatillo salsa verde is ready to serve with tacos or chips.

Video

Notes

One might wonder why the use of pork stock in this recipe. This salsa is wonderful with only water, but if you have made pulled pork for tacos, save the pork juices to add to this salsa verde. It's exceptional.

There is just a little bit of heat in this salsa verde recipe. Here are some suggestions to make it to your liking.

If you like more spice:

you can either double or triple the amount of jalapeño peppers
or add the jalapeño seeds to the saucepan with the other ingredients
or use serrano peppers.

If you need it to be more mild:

use one-half of a jalapeño pepper
or substitute the jalapeño with an Anaheim pepper.

Nutrition