Green salsas run the gamut on Mexico City streets. They can be boiled, pea green and soupy; they can be charred and thick and ecked with blackened bits of tomatillo. They can also be astonishingly hot, which is why it’s always good to ask the street vendor, “Cual salsa pica mas?” (Which salsa is hotter?) This is my favorite version of all: a raw, acidic, chunky puree that slices through anything fatty; I like to serve it with slow-cooked pork, crispy carrot tacos, tlacoyos, Mexican-style eggs and almost anything else.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 20 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Yield: | about 2 cups |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 20 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Yield: | about 2 cups |
Ingredients
- 9 fresh arbol chiles, or 4 to 5 serrano chiles
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- 10 ounces tomatillos, husked and rinsed (see below)
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons diced onion
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, or more to taste
- Juice of 1/2 large lime, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/2 medium Hass avocado, diced, optional
Instructions
- 1 Chop the chiles and garlic roughly, and place in a blender jar. Blitz until mostly chopped.
- 2 Cut the tomatillos in half and add to the blender jar with the water. Liquefy until the salsa transforms into a thick, chunky sauce.
- 3 Pour into a bowl and stir in the onion and cilantro. Taste and see if you like it as is, or if you’d prefer more acidity or salt. If so, add the lime juice and taste again. Then stir in the salt and taste one more time, adding more salt, if necessary. Top with the avocado, if using, just before serving.
- 4 Salsa (minus the avocado) keeps for about a week in a sealed container in the fridge.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 2 servings |
| Calories | 157 |
| Total Fat | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 592 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 2 servings |
| Calories | 157 |
| Total Fat | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 20 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 592 mg |