Easy Tomatillo Salsa Fresh From the Garden!

This easy tomatillo salsa recipe calls for just four ingredients. Also known as salsa verde, this recipe has a bit of a tang and a little heat. It’s perfect to pair with chips or serve alongside your favorite Mexican meal.

While I struggle to grow tomatoes here in this humid climate, tomatillos do really well. I’ve got three plants in the ground and producing right now, with more seedlings started. Tomatillos are super easy to grow and more resistant to pests than tomatoes due to their little husks. Since they grow well here, of course I’ll be using them to make a lot of this fresh tomatillo salsa recipe. [More on growing tomatillos here.]

What are tomatillos, actually?

Sometimes called Mexican husk tomatoes, tomatillos are from the nightshade family — same as a tomato — but are a different fruit entirely. Tomatillos grow inside a papery husk that seems to help foil the bugs in my neighborhood.

They’re small — 1-2″ in diameter for the most part — and are usually green, though there is a purple variety as well. The fruit has a sticky residue on its exterior that you’ll notice when you’re peeling them. They’re much firmer than a tomato, and maintain a bit of a soft crunch even when fully ripe. The flavor of a tomatillo is a bit tangy.

Tomatillo salsa recipe (aka salsa verde)

I harvested some fresh tomatillos this morning and decided to experiment with a tomatillo salsa recipe. It got raves from my guys, and frankly, if I can’t have my fresh tomato salsa all the time, this is a very acceptable substitute! It’s a bit tangier than your standard tomato salsa, and the tomatillos maintain their crunchy texture, but this one? Is a winner!

This tomatillo salsa recipe is pretty flexible and quantities should definitely be eyeballed rather than measured. No need to dirty one more dish!

I’m easy like that.

This recipe makes a chunky salsa, but if you’d prefer you’re welcome to toss the ingredients into a blender or food processor to make a finer end product.

Serve this tomatillo salsa up with chips, just like you would your favorite tomato salsa. Spoon some into a burrito. Or top off your favorite egg dish. Its fresh flavor will perk up most dishes.

★ Did you make this tomatillo salsa recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

5 from 3 votes

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Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

This recipe is a bit tangier than your standard tomato salsa, and the tomatillos maintain their crunchy texture.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword how to make salsa verde, salsa recipes, tomatillo salsa, what to do with tomatillos

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 29 kcal

Author Kris Bordessa

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh tomatillos
• 1/4 cup onion (I used a red onion)
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon or lime
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 medium sized red tomato (optional)

Instructions

1. Chop vegetables into 1/4" dice. You can do this by hand or use a food processor as a shortcut.

   

2. Add remaining ingredients and stir.

   

3. Serve with chips or spooned on top of my family's favorite refried beans.
   

Recipe Notes

If you'd prefer a less chunky salsa,  toss the ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse to the desired consistency. 

Serve this tomatillo salsa up with chips, just like you would your favorite tomato salsa. Spoon some into a burrito. Or top off your favorite egg dish. Its fresh flavor will perk up most dishes.

Originally published in June 2015; this post has been updated.