Roasted Jalapeno Salsa Verde Recipe
When I am craving a mild green salsa I make this easy jalapeno salsa verde recipe. All that’s need are jalapeno peppers, tomatillos, onion, garlic and some fresh cilantro. It’s so easy to make full of fresh flavor that’s perfect for enjoying with tortilla chips, to make enchiladas verdes, Mexican stews and so much more.
Roasted Jalapeño Salsa Verde
Every week I make a batch of salsa to use in our meals, and roasted tomatillo salsa is one of the ones I make most often.
What I love most about this salsa is that it requires simple ingredients that I always have in my fridge.
Also the smoky taste it has from roasting the veggies is pretty amazing. It’s has just a little heat so it’s perfect to use in so many different ways, as opposed to say when I make a habanero or chile de arbol salsa and it’s too spicy to use in anything other than topping tacos.
Amigos, don’t feel that making your own salsa is too difficult, it’s not.
Once you master a couple of salsa recipes then you can make many dishes important to Mexican cuisine. Plus, the great thing is that you won’t have to buy the stuff from the grocery store which doesn’t taste all that great and it’s full of preservatives.
I’m pretty sure this will become one of your favorite Mexican salsas and that you’ll be making it on a regular basis just like me. Let’s get started.
Why You’ll Love This Salsa
• You can control how spicy or mild you want the salsa to be.
• This authentic recipe is even more delicious than the salsa verde served at your favorite Mexican restaurants.
• Homemade is way better than store-bought salsa verde.
• Roasting the ingredients gives the salsa more depth of flavor.
• You can have authentic salsa verde ready to eat in 30 minutes!
Jalapeño Salsa Ingredients
Jalapeño Peppers: These are generally a mild chilies* and perfect for making salsa verde. If you this a spicy salsa you can add more jalapeños or mix in some serrano peppers.
Tomatillos: These are small green tomatoes (sometimes called Mexican husk tomatoes) that you’ll find at most grocery stores. They have a papery husk or peel that you can easily remove or sometimes by them already removed.
White Onion: This is the preferred onion variety when making fresh salsa and it’s also what’s used in authentic Mexican cooking.
Fresh Garlic: I always add it to my salsas to add flavor.
Cilantro: It adds delicious flavor to salsas and in tomatillo salsa verde it also adds color. Don’t skip it…unless you just can’t stand the taste.
Vegetable Bouillon Powder: Many traditional Mexican cooks add bouillon powder to salsa because it adds flavor and savory taste. This is the brand that I use.
Salt: This seasoning not only adds savory flavor but also helps draw out the other tastes in food.
Oil: This is to add to the comal when roasting the ingredients. I use olive oil or avocado oil, but vegetable oil works too.
Water: To help blend the salsa ingredients and also to thin down the salsa, if you’d like.
Optional Ingredient: If you’d like you can add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to give it a citrusy touch. But make sure you decide how you’ll be eating the salsa before adding the lime juice.
Ingredient Notes: For the most part fresh jalapenos are mild chili peppers, though occasionally you can find some that are spicier. If you can’t handle spicy then make sure to remove all the seeds and pith.
How to Make Roasted Jalapeno Salsa
Step1:
Peel off the husk from the tomatillo, peel the onion and garlic cloves, cut off the stem from the chiles and thoroughly rinse everything. Rinse the cilantro and set aside to drain off excess water. Then heat a large comal or frying pan over high heat and once hot add the oil if using.
Step 2:
Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos on the comal. Roast for 5 minutes on one side then flip over and roast for another 5 minutes.
Step 3:
Continue to roast until the vegetables charr evenly then remove them as they’re ready.
Step 4:
Once the vegetables are charred place them in a blender cup then add the bouillon powder, salt and 1/2 cup water. Blend until completely smooth – or if you want a chunkier salsa then blend to your desired taste. (You could also use a molcajete or a food processor to puree the salsa.)
Step 5:
Next add the cilantro and blend again until completely smooth. Taste and add more salt if desired. At this time you can add more water if you’d like a thinner salsa.
Step 6:
Pour into a large serving dish or you can also fry the salsa in a Tablespoon of oil for about 8 minutes then allow to come to room temperature before serving. If you’re adding lime juice add it right before serving. Enjoy!
Nancy’s Tips
• The key to a flavorful and authentic homemade salsa verde recipe is using fresh ingredients, so make sure you have the freshest veggies possible.
• Traditional Mexican cooks can handle the high heat from the comal so they flip the vegetables by hand, but it’s perfectly fine to use kitchen tongs to do the flipping – don’t burn yourself!
• You can leave the salsa as thick or as thin as you’d like. I’d suggest thicker for dipping and thinner for cooking or stewing.
Taste
This jalapeno salsa verde tastes a bit smokey, a little spicy, savory, has mellow tart tones and just a smidge of earthy flavor. It’s a creamy jalapeno salsa with complex flavor but made so quickly and easy.
How to Serve
Serve your salsa as a delicious dip for store-bought or homemade tortilla chips or to drizzle over vegan chorizo tacos, breakfast tacos, crispy potato tacos or refried bean tacos, and Mexican potatoes.
But you can also cook and use this salsa to make enchilada sauce, chicharron in salsa verde, verdolagas or Mexican purslane, and to make vegan tamales verdes.
Other ways are to drizzle it over a burrito bowl with sour cream.
How to Store
After you blend or cook the salsa allow it to cool to room temperature then place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep fresh for 5 days.
You can also freeze this salsa. Pour into freezer safe containers or reusable freezer safe bags, it will keep for 3 months.
FAQ
Q: Can I make this salsa in the oven? The most traditional way to make this salsa is by roasting the vegetables on the stove. But if you’d like you could also do it in the oven broiler. Rub oil over a baking sheet or line with non-stick aluminum foil, then place the fresh tomatillos, jalapeno peppers, onion and garlic on it in a single layer. Roast until the veggies are soft and have a nice char throughout, flip over once. Remove the garlic before it burns.
Q: Help, my salsa looks like jelly! Tomatillos have a lot of pectin, which means that once your salsa sits in the fridge for a day or more, it will thicken up. No need to worry because you can just give it a good mix or heat up just what you’re going to be eating at the time, and it will thin out again.
Q: Can I use poblano pepper to make salsa verde? Yes you could, it would give you a non-spicy salsa with a different taste.
Q: How can I make this a milder salsa? Remove the seeds and the pith that the seeds are connected to in the jalapeño pepper. This is where the majority of the heat comes from in chilies peppers. Keep in mind though that some chiles are just spicy.
Q: How can I make this a spicier salsa? Leave the seeds and pith and use serrano pepper.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
More Salsa Recipes to Try
Roasted Jalapeno Salsa Verde Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 1 comal or large pan
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatillos peeled, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 small white onion
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves
- 3 large jalapenos*
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 large handful cilantro
- 1 teaspoon oil optional
- water to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large comal or frying pan and once hot add the oil if using.
- Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalapenos on the comal. Roast for 5 minutes on one side then flip over and roast for another 5 minutes.
- Continue to roast until the vegetables charr evenly then remove them as they're ready.
- Once the vegetables are charred place them in a blender cup then add the bouillon powder, salt and 1/2 cup water. Blend until completely smooth.
- Add the cilantro and blend again until completely smooth. Taste and add more salt if desired. At this time you can add more water if you’d like a thinner salsa.
- Serve or you can also fry the salsa in a Tablespoon of oil for about 8 minutes. Serve as desired or allow to cool then place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
