Nothing will transform your kitchen more than having go-to recipes for the two pillars of Mexican cuisine: red sauce and green sauce.
Today it’s the Green Sauce on center stage. Otherwise known as Tomatillo-Serrano sauce, or Salsa Verde, or Mexico’s #2 salsa.
A homemade green sauce can transform eggs, slow cooker carnitas, and enchiladas into something otherworldly– so getting good at whipping up this beauty opens up loads of instant possibilities.
Salsa Verde Recipe
Most supermarkets these days have a basket of tomatillos tucked away in the produce section.
If you’re new to tomatillos, pull open the husk at the grocery store and buy the ones that are taut and greenish on the inside. If they are pale or mushy they are past their prime. (What is a Tomatillo?)
Note: If you’re in an area where fresh tomatillos are hard to come by, you can always use canned tomatillos. Yes, it’ll be a slight step down in quality, but the results are still far superior than using storebought salsa. And don’t worry about roasting tomatillos out of the can, it doesn’t have the same effect as roasting fresh tomatillos.
OK, got 4 tomatillos handy? Pull the husks off, give them a good rinse, and cut out the stems.
And now we’ll add:
1 serrano pepper, de-stemmed and cut in half
½ white onion (yellow is OK)
1 clove garlic, peeled
10 sprigs cilantro
Roasting the tomatillos will lower the acidity and concentrate the flavors, so we’ll put them in the oven at 400F. (Out latest post shows other roasting methods you can use to make this Salsa.)
In about 10-15 minutes they’ll start to turn army green, that means they’re done:
Into the blender they go along with ½ onion, garlic, cilantro (using the stems in Mexico is the norm), and only 1/2 of the serrano pepper. You could also use a molcajete to make the salsa.
Why only half of the serrano? Because only you know your preferred heat level. So I always recommend adding heat incrementally the first few times you make this sauce. (How hot are serrano peppers?)
Pulse blend and taste for heat level. Not enough? Keep adding serrano until it tastes right to you.
(Note: if you are sensitive to spicy foods then you can start by adding 1/4 of the serrano and taste-testing.)
And that’s it! You just made the second most popular sauce in the history of Mexican cooking in less than 20 minutes.
Having this sauce on standby in your kitchen is a gamechanger.
Sure, it does well next to a bowl of chips. But it really shines when used generously in breakfast burritos, or gooped on top of burritos, or smothering pork carnitas.
One last note: you’ll typically find serranos next to jalapenos in the produce section, but if your local markets don’t carry them you can substitute jalapenos for the serranos and you’ll get a similar result.
Buen Provecho.
- 4-5 medium-sized tomatillos
- 1 serrano pepper
- 1/2 white onion (yellow is OK)
- 1 garlic clove
- 10-12 sprigs cilantro
- salt to taste
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Pull the husks off the tomatillos and give them a good rinse. Cut the stems out of the tomatillos.
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Roast the tomatillos in a 400F oven for 10-20 minutes or until they start to turn army green in color.
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Add the tomatillos to a blender along with 1/2 onion, 1 peeled garlic clove, 10-12 sprigs cilantro (using the upper stems is fine), and 1/4 of the serrano pepper. (Be sure to give the cilantro and serrano a good rinse.)
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Pulse blend and taste for heat level. If you want more spice add another quarter of serrano. Keep adding serrano until it tastes "right" to you.
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Salt to taste (I typically do not add much salt).
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Serve immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
I highly recommend adding the serrano pepper incrementally the first few times you make this sauce.
After you are happy with the heat level you can salt to taste, but when using fresh tomatillos I rarely add salt.
It's OK to substitute jalapenos if your local markets don't carry serranos.
I typically twist off and discard the bottom, thicker stems of the cilantro, but I use the upper stems that hold the leaves.
Add an avocado to this recipe and you’ve got a delicious Avocado Salsa Verde.
You can also use a chipotle in adobo to get a delicious Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa.
And here is a link to making a molcajete version of this awesome green salsa.
i’ve been going to Cozumel since the 60’s, and salsa verde is my all time FAVORITE condiment, with MANY uses in all types of cooking. my recipe is basically the same, only i roast all the veggies(leaving garlic in it’s paper covering) with the tomatillos, and roast them longer, till you get a little char (adds another level of flavor). i also add a little sea salt and water to thin it out a bit). a squeeze of lime (if i have it) brightens it up too
Hola Tom! thanks for your notes on the Salsa Verde. Roasting the tomatillos longer is a great option, if you have the patience 🙂
Wow Cozumel has probably changed quite a bit since the sixties, especially with all the cruise ships these days. Do you dive by chance? Would be curious to know which Coz reefs have held up the most since then…
Cheers 🙂
Remember always you must wash the tomatillos very well, you can use soap if it’s necessary, because they have a strong bitter flavor in their skin, and that could do a mess with the sauce.
I’m mexican and i love this sauce 🙂
Thanks Angel! Yup good point as the insides of the husks are always a bit sticky. Cheers 🙂
You sure make this tomatillo salsa verde look so easy! I’ll have to make it soon!
Yeah, it is surprisingly easy, tomatillos do all the work 🙂
What degree do I roast the tomatoes and is it half side down or up? Can’t wait to try!
Hola! For roasting the tomatillos I usually use 400F. And for both tomatoes (plum) and tomatillos I roast them whole. Let me know if you still have any questions. Good luck!
How long will this last
Hi Pamela! This salsa should keep for at least a few days in the fridge, but you might notice that it loses some of its zing after a day or two. You can re-season it or try adding a splash of vinegar to make it last longer, but to be honest I’m in the habit of making small, fresh batches as opposed to larger batches. Hope that helps a bit!
pour some into ice cube trays, freeze and toss em in a ziploc. when you need some just grab a cube… will last for months.
Thanks Jon!
Can you use canning method for this salsa
Hi Jan, thanks for stopping by! To be honest, I don’t do any long term preserving so I can’t comment on how well this Salsa Verde will preserve. I’ve been getting that question a lot so I might look into it, but until then I’ve been pointing people to the Ball website as it seems to have loads of good info on canning:
https://www.freshpreserving.com/canning-guide-pdfs.html
Hope that helps a bit. Cheers.
This was super easy and full of flavor! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Awesome Theresa, thanks much for your note! I’m always amazed how much flavor you can get from so few ingredients in this salsa.
Made this today and it was so delicious and addictive. It was a simple recipe, no fuss and taste amazing! Thank you!
Awesome Mary, thanks much for the feedback! I’m regularly amazed at how much flavor you get in this recipe from so few ingredients. Cheers.
Delicious y just add some lime and oregano and canned!!
Thanks Vinia, sounds like some great additions!
How come you don’t roast the garlic and onion as well? Thanks!
Hi Alex! You can roast the garlic and onion if you want to, but I find that this mellows their flavor a little bit — I think I prefer the sharpness from the raw garlic and onion in most salsas. Cheers.
Hi, I would like to make this recipe (TOMATILLO-SERRANO SAUCE) with a dish I am making tonight. If it is okay with you I want to post it on my blog and Instagram. Of course I will give you credit for the (tomatillo sauce portion) of the recipe. Please let me know if it is ok to use this recipe. I am making a dish and want to include Tomatillo sauce.
Hi Sue, yes go for it and thanks for asking. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about it. Cheers.
Can this green sauce be used in or as the green sauce for tamales? I love tamales and am about to try my hand at making them, so I was just wondering if this sauce can be used or should I find another recipe? Thanks so much!!!
You mean to flavor the filling right? Sure you can use it for that — the Salsa Verde is super versatile and I use it for all sorts of dishes. Cheers.
This looks so good! I love Serranos too. I think they have the best flavor and are typically a little hotter than jalapeños. Great article, thank you!
Thanks Craig!
Can I leave the pepper out as I am allergic to hot peppers.
Hi Ivy! Yeah you can leave out the chili peppers but of course it might not taste the same without the zing from the chilis, so it might be worthwhile seeking out a substitute for the chilis. Dependent on your allergies, you might find some alternatives in this interesting discussion:
https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/33534/chili-and-bell-pepper-substitute-due-to-allergies
Let me know if I can help any further. Cheers.