Salsa Verde Recipe

Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos, rinse off their sticky film and pat dry, then cut them in half; stem the jalapeños and either leave the seeds for heat or scrape them out if you want mild, peel and quarter the onion and smash the garlic cloves.

Heat your broiler or a cast iron skillet until very hot. Arrange tomatillo halves cut side down, jalapeños, onion quarters and garlic on a sheet or directly on the skillet. Char and soften until they have blackened spots and the tomatillos are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice.

If you charred the jalapeños, put them in a bowl and cover to sweat for 5 minutes, then peel off skins if you prefer a smoother taste; if you roasted the garlic and it’s soft, squeeze the cloves out of their skins.

Put the charred tomatillos, jalapeños, onion, and garlic into a blender or food processor. Add the cilantro, the juice of 1 lime, 1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt, and the 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper if using.

Pulse until you reach the texture you want; stop and scrape down the sides as needed. Don’t overblend or it will get too watery and lose that nice bite.

If the salsa is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or a neutral oil and pulse again to loosen it up.

Taste and adjust salt and lime to your liking, and remove more seeds next time if it was too hot.

Let the salsa rest at room temperature for 15 minutes so the flavors meld, or chill for an hour; store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Serve on tacos, eggs, grilled meats, fish or with chips, and remember it gets brighter the next day so make a little extra if you can.