Give your taste buds a kick with this deliciously spicy salsa verde!
I have an ongoing love affair with a freshly roasted bowl of salsa verde. It’s dreamy!
It’s also one of the few salsa’s I can actually eat straight from a jar! I will not TOUCH a jar of red salsa. I’ve tried just about every variety out there but I will not, and can not, deviate from the fresh stuff. Not evah! Though I will happily faceplant into a jar of tomatillo goodness, it was only a matter of time before I bought a bushel of those green beauties and decided to tackle making my own.
Once I finally did, it was pretty apparent there is no going back here!
Spicy Salsa Verde
This sassy salsa has a great flavor profile that allows all the ingredients shine through the spice. Love it so!
Spicy Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 7 tomatillos, husk removed (ping pong ball sized)
- 1.5 jalapeños (medium-large, around 3 inches)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 medium red onion
- 1-2 TBSP fresh cilantro
- olive oil and vinegar to taste
- freshly squeezed lime juice to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking pan with foil.
- Add your tomatillos and jalapenos to the pan and roast for 15-20 minutes or until the flesh of the tomatillos starts to pucker a bit. If you allow a few golden brown char marks to appear on the tomatillos it'll add a fire roasted flavor to the salsa. I like the bite of raw onion in my salsa and leave it off the roasting pan but feel free to roast those as well!
- Once your tomatillos are done allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Once they've had a little time to cool down, toss your tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic onion and salt in the food processor and pulse a few times to chop.
- Next add in your cilantro [add a little at a time, everyone seems to prefer a different amount!] and lime and grab some tortilla chips to taste as you go.
- Lastly, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and adjust the salt/cumin ratio as desired.
- I added a little extra since I love the smoky depth of flavor cumin adds to green salsa. Taste as you go and feel free to toss in extra cilantro or up the spice factor by adding in another 1/2 to whole jalapeno into the mix!
- Allow to further cool to room temperature and dig in face first with some chips or veggies! I love it best straight from the blender while Paul insists his be chilled for twenty minutes; enjoy it either way!
- Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and an assortment of crunchy veggies for dipping!
Notes
Nutrition
so… how was it?
Spiiiiiiicy! In a good way of course! This salsa packs heat but still has such a great flavor profile that all the ingredients shine through the spice. I could still taste the onion, cumin, jalapeno and cilantro in every bite. I think I love the flavor or the roasted jalapenos most of all… they’re easily my favorite vegetable to add to Mexican-style dishes.
This delicious dip is great on it’s own with chips/veggies or as a topping for taco night! We love adding it to tortilla soup and enchiladas.
Not a fan of spicy salsa? Tomatillos taste best with a little heat, but for a mild salsa try our recipe for a wicked easy restaurant-style salsa!
OMG and totally check out our AVOCADO SALSA VERDE too — so good!
hungry for more?
- Lentil Veggie Tacos (Vegan + Vegetarian)
- Spicy Sriracha Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
- Baked Bell Pepper Tacos
- Easy 5-Ingredient Mango Jalapeño Salsa
If you get a chance to try this spicy salsa verde, let me know! You can leave me a comment here (LOVE checking those daily!) or tag @PEASandCRAYONS on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creations. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
This recipe seemed the most balanced of salsa Verde’s recipes. I’ve had it in restaurants, but it is my first time making it. It turned out delicious, but I did add considerably more cilantro and lime (but that’s the taste I wanted) and I had to add two more large raw jalapeños. I did not think the original recipe was spicy, and I usually eat a lot of spicy foods, at good Thai restaurants medium.
Extra cilantro, jalapeño, and lime is always a win in my book! I actually never take tomatillos off my grocery list lately (lol!) b/c we go through a batch of this a week! So glad you enjoyed it Mindy! xoxo
How long will this last if put into a sauce jar? Thinking of making it as part of a gift basket. Sounds so good!
Hi Holly! Such a cute idea! It will keep chilled in the fridge for at least 4 days per current food safety standards (though I suspect it may be good even longer) and if you go about canning it via traditional canning methods it could keep for months!
In my opinion, spicy is the only way to go when it comes to salsa! This recipe is awesome!
I couldn’t agree more – fresh red salsa or bust! But salsa verde is a bit more forgiving – and I love your recipe for it!!
Great recipe!
Ooooh, this looks fantastic! I love salsa verde, especially when it’s made with roasted veggies. 🙂 Thanks for another awesome recipe, mamacita!
Okay, I have been drooling over all of your recipes. Your pictures are AWESOME. Great Job! I would love for you to come link up at http://www.memoriesbythemile.com/ link party, it’s going on now.
New follower and will be back OFTEN 😉
Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile
Oh that is amazing! Soooo much better for you than the jarred stuff. Thanks for sharing!
Mexican food is by far my favorite and my boyfriend is OBSESSED with chips and spicy salsa! I am definitely going to have to make this for hum! Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing Jenn!
OH I love salsa verde. I eat the jars of Mrs. Renfro’s all in one sitting. This recipe sounds delicious.
today we git our SPICY ON!!!
Hi there!
I have a quick question about “Peas and Crayons!” Please email me when you get a chance…thank you!
Kendra
Hi Kendra! You didn’t leave an email address 😉 Feel free to email me at peasandcrayons (at) gmail (dot) com
GIVE IT TO ME. There is no better condiment than salsa verde end. of. story.
Yum yum yum!! Thanks for posting this little bit of heaven. I’m sure I’ll be stuffing my face with it REAL soon.
This sounds super delicious! I bet it would be amazing in chilaquiles, basicallly a Mexican one pot meal with salsa verde, tortilla chips, and chicken.
I’m such a total spice wimp so I KNOW that I would end up feeling like I was having a heart attack after a spoonful of this (I can barely handle medium salsas! Lol), but DAMN does it look good!
And can I just say that I love how you just posted a recipe! I swear it takes me an HOUR sometimes JUST to figure out my introduction! Haha!
I love the heat of this salsa. I’m not sure if I could hang, but there’s really only one way to find out. 😉
oh yum! yum yum yum yum yum yum yum! this sounds great! I’m all over a well done green salsa!
Definitely want to give this a try, sounds and looks delicious 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
I love salsa verde, but I’ve always been afraid to make because tomatillos make me nervous, haha. I think I will try this recipe though!
Just think of them as tomatoes very distant cousin 😉 They have a different flavor profile but a great texture for salsa! Plus the seeds are super soft and add fiber!
Yum! Any excuse to add lime juice to something and I’m on it 😉
Also, I absolutely love salsa verde in enchiladas!
I’ve been meaning to try tomatillos forever. Perhaps this could be my gateway recipe:)
I felt the same way! I have been buying tomatillo salsa for years and then adding my own spices to up the heat factor and I had finally reached my breaking point! I bought the tomatillos and forced myself to experiment – It’s so much easier than it seems! And the roasted jalapenos and red onion add flavor that the jars never seem to have!
We were just talking about making our own salsa – definitely trying this one out!
Yay!!!! Hope you love it!
I looooove salsa verde! This homemade version sounds amazing! 🙂