Green salsa Verde?

[Jaydub]

Ok, this has me stumped.

I have been trying to make this salsa in a non-tradition way and have failed miserably, we are looking for a tart salsa Verde, but I just can't nail it down, I have tried many different ways but I cannot get it right. The flavor is just like your normal salsa Verde but it have like a sour or tart finishing taste to it. I have found this at a few restaurants but not many. The one that is the best one had been tacos michocan in Northridge California.

I know someone has got to have what is used to make it tart.

I have tried pressure cooking the ingredients, and I have tried to add lemon to it, done it raw, done it cooked, still nothing.

If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great.

 

[Bitser]

Tomatillos have a tart aftertaste. Other potential sources of tartness might be green tomatoes and lime juice. Canned green chile is often packed with citric acid, but that can taste unpleasantly acidic.

 

[Andy M.]

I agree with tomatillos. Also, consider adding some lime zest for tartness.

 

[blissful]

You could look at the most sour agents usually used to make it acidic. Some recipes use lemon juice, some vinegar, also citric acid, each having a different flavor that may linger.

 

[larry_stewart]

Tomatillos definitely add tartness, but that also depends on their ripeness ( at least in my experience with growing/ cooking with them).
The more ripe ones kinda turn a yellowish color, and add a more sweet / lest tart flavor. The smaller ones add it bitterness to it.

 

[karadekoolaid]

OK - Salsa Verde in Spanish means green sauce in English, and it´s green because of the tomatillos, rather than green tomatoes.
Here´s a recipe a lady gave me in the San Miguel market in Mexico City. We made it for chilaquiles and it was stupendous. No exact measures, but it´s roughly:
500 gms (about 1 lb) tomatillos. Fresh, not tinned.
1 large onion
2 whole cloves garlic
2-3 fresh serrano (or jalapeño) chiles
A generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves
Salt to taste
About 1 1/2 lts ( little less than 3 pints) water.
Boil the water with the salt . Add the whole tomatillos, the onion, chopped into 4 pieces, the garlic, the chile peppers and the cilantro. Cook until the tomatillos change colour from bright green to olive all over. Remove all the vegetables and blend, adding as much of the cooking water as you need to make a thinnish sauce. That´s it!
You can play around with it as much as you like, and if you want it a bit sharper, add lime, rather than lemon juice.

 

[GinnyPNW]

OK - Salsa Verde in Spanish means green sauce in English, and it´s green because of the tomatillos, rather than green tomatoes.
Here´s a recipe a lady gave me in the San Miguel market in Mexico City. We made it for chilaquiles and it was stupendous. No exact measures, but it´s roughly:
500 gms (about 1 lb) tomatillos. Fresh, not tinned.
1 large onion
2 whole cloves garlic
2-3 fresh serrano (or jalapeño) chiles
A generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves
Salt to taste
About 1 1/2 lts ( little less than 3 pints) water.
Boil the water with the salt . Add the whole tomatillos, the onion, chopped into 4 pieces, the garlic, the chile peppers and the cilantro. Cook until the tomatillos change colour from bright green to olive all over. Remove all the vegetables and blend, adding as much of the cooking water as you need to make a thinnish sauce. That´s it!
You can play around with it as much as you like, and if you want it a bit sharper, add lime, rather than lemon juice.

karadekoolaid, that would be white onions, no?

 

[karadekoolaid]

Yes, Ginny. And in the Mexican markets, they´re huge.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Next time you visit that restaurant, compliment the server on the salsa! What will often work for me is something like, "The salsa is wonderful! Do you make it here?" Then kind of quiz them on the ingredients. You'll be surprised how many will pretty much offer up the recipe...IF they know it.

 

[AwesomeOpossum74]

We have a small local Mexican restaurant here, that has the best salsa verde (in my opinion).

It's been my experience that in small restaurants (not franchises), where they make their food fresh, you can ask the employees how they make their stuff, and they'll at least list the ingredients (maybe not the proportions).

 

[karadekoolaid]

I cheat. I tell them I´m a chef from Venezuela and ask to see the chef in the kitchen.
Worked every time when I was in Mexico!!

 

[GinnyPNW]

I may be trying the recipe later this week. A friend is bringing her excess tomatillos to the dog show on Friday. Funny that she should offer them, after this thread from this morning!

 

[CharlieD]

Ok, this has me stumped.

I have been trying to make this salsa in a non-tradition way and have failed miserably, we are looking for a tart salsa Verde, but I just can't nail it down, I have tried many different ways but I cannot get it right. The flavor is just like your normal salsa Verde but it have like a sour or tart finishing taste to it. I have found this at a few restaurants but not many. The one that is the best one had been tacos michocan in Northridge California.

I know someone has got to have what is used to make it tart.

I have tried pressure cooking the ingredients, and I have tried to add lemon to it, done it raw, done it cooked, still nothing.

If anyone can point me in the right direction that would be great.

Have you tried to add lime juice/lime zest?

 

[GinnyPNW]

I may be trying the recipe later this week. A friend is bringing her excess tomatillos to the dog show on Friday. Funny that she should offer them, after this thread from this morning!

I tried the recipe today! Even though I used a lot less jalapenos, maybe 1/3 of what the recipe says, it has quite a kick! Yummy, but spicy too. Maybe it will mellow as it cools?

 

[taxlady]

I bought some tomatillos. I want to figure out if they bother my arthritis, since many nightshades do. Well, I got a migraine and postdrome, so I haven't done anything with them yet and I'm going away for a few days. Can I freeze them? If so, any tips? I'm hoping I can just freeze them individually on a tray and then bag them when they are frozen. I have too many other things to do to get ready for travelling to do much more than that.

 

[GotGarlic]

I bought some tomatillos. I want to figure out if they bother my arthritis, since many nightshades do. Well, I got a migraine and postdrome, so I haven't done anything with them yet and I'm going away for a few days. Can I freeze them? If so, any tips? I'm hoping I can just freeze them individually on a tray and then bag them when they are frozen. I have too many other things to do to get ready for travelling to do much more than that.

Yes, you can do that. They will be soft and collapse when you thaw them but you can still cook with them.

 

[taxlady]

Yes, you can do that. They will be soft and collapse when you thaw them but you can still cook with them.

Thank you. I do intend to make salsa with them, so collapsed doesn't sound like a problem. I'm looking at two recipes from reputable canning sites. I want to try each of them and see if one of them is worth canning. If they taste good and don't bother my arthritis, I want to buy a bunch soon, while they are available, and can some salsa, since the stuff we like and can buy has tomato and does aggravate the arthritis. I suspect that I can tolerate it, because I have been ordering the green salsa with my burritos for a while and haven't had a problem. If this works, I can have nachos again.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Thank you. I do intend to make salsa with them, so collapsed doesn't sound like a problem. I'm looking at two recipes from reputable canning sites. I want to try each of them and see if one of them is worth canning. If they taste good and don't bother my arthritis, I want to buy a bunch soon, while they are available, and can some salsa, since the stuff we like and can buy has tomato and does aggravate the arthritis. I suspect that I can tolerate it, because I have been ordering the green salsa with my burritos for a while and haven't had a problem. If this works, I can have nachos again.

Fingers crossed for you! Nachos are a favorite here too!

 

[karadekoolaid]

I tried the recipe today! Even though I used a lot less jalapenos, maybe 1/3 of what the recipe says, it has quite a kick! Yummy, but spicy too. Maybe it will mellow as it cools?

Glad you enjoyed it!
Next time, just use fewer jalapeños/serranos. I don´t recall the sauce getting any milder from one day to another.

 

[GinnyPNW]

Glad you enjoyed it!
Next time, just use fewer jalapeños/serranos. I don´t recall the sauce getting any milder from one day to another.

Thanks & will do. We'll have Salsa Verde for a while. I used 4 pounds of Tomatillos! Still have another 3 pounds to use in something...or freeze for future.