Salsa is delicious and so versatile, you can just eat it with some chips or veggies. You can pour it over tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, or just about anything. This is one of my favorite salsas to make because the simplicity to deliciousness ratio is about 50/50. The most time-consuming part is sautéing the tomatillos. Other than that, you just blend it up. Don’t let taco night be bland, amp it up with awesome salsa. This recipe makes enough salsa for 4-5 people.

What to Gather:

• 10-12 tomatillos
• 1 Serrano Chili or 2 jalapeños
• 1 white onion
• 1 lime
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• Handful of cilantro
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (for sautéing)

Spices:

• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• Always adjust to taste

Tool Belt:

• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• Blending Unit (Hand or counter)
• Medium Bowl (Optional if using a counter blender)
• Sauté Pan
• Lid
• Tongs
• Measuring spoons

If you are more comfortable with preparations then check out the Quick Guide. Otherwise, if you would like to read more of a blog style guide, check out the Detailed Guide.

As always before we start cooking we need to wash our vegetables. Give each item a rinse under cold water, removing any stickers and set aside. I like to place the washed veggies in another bowl or on a towel.

If you are using a blender, just switch the word bowl for blender.

Quick Guide:

• Heat sauté pan over medium heat.
• Slice each tomatillo in half and set aside.
• Do water splash test to see if it sizzles.
• Add tablespoon of olive oil and let it heat up, about a minute.
• Add tomatillos cut side down, let sauté for a couple of minutes.
• Using tongs flip each tomatillo over, let sauté for a couple of minutes.
• Squeeze 1/4 or 1/2 lime into pan.
• Add a splash of water and cover with a lid to steam.
• Pour out sautéd tomatillos into a medium bowl.
• Smash, peel and rough chop garlic, add to bowl.
• Rough chop white onion, add to bowl.
• Slice Jalapeños or Serranos lengthwise, add to bowl.
• Slice off cilantro stems, discard.
• Tear remaining cilantro in half, add to bowl.
• Squeeze in 1/2 lime.
• Add spices.
• Blend until desired chunkiness.
• Taste with chips and adjust desired flavors.
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!

Detailed Guide:

Lay your cutting board out on the counter and set your bowl up either in front or next to you. Make sure you have room to chop comfortably.

I like to do these first few steps in parallel while the pan heats up. The choice is up to you. Don’t rush yourself though.

Get out a medium-sized sauté pan and heat it over medium heat, this usually takes a couple of minutes depending on if you have gas or electric. An easy method that I use for various recipes is the water splash test. Splash a bit of water on the pan, if it sizzles then you are ready. However, if it evaporates too fast then your pan is way too hot and you will burn your food. Remove your pan from the heat to cool a bit then restart.

Slice each tomatillo in half and set aside. Continue to do this until all are sliced. If your pan is hot, start adding each tomatillo cut side down until your pan is filled. If you have any extra slices that won’t fit in the pan, just throw them into your bowl.

Sauté your tomatillos cut side down for a couple of minutes or until they start to brown. At this point you are ready to flip them over. You can do this part with a set of tongs or you can shake the pan to get them flipped over. Just be careful to not spill them onto the stove. Practice makes perfect with this shake method.

Squeeze out 1/4 to 1/2 of lime into the pan, add a bit of water to generate some steam, cover and reduce the heat slightly. This steam helps to infuse that sauté and lime flavor into the tomatillos as well as soften their skins. Keep the lid on for a couple of minutes until they look sweaty.

Remove the tomatillos from the heat and let cool for a minute. Carefully pour them into your bowl. Splash a bit of water onto the pan, this helps to remove those juices which you want.

Chop the white onion and also add to the bowl.

Smash peel and rough chop the garlic cloves and add to bowl.

Depending on your love for spice, you may want to use 1 Serrano or 2 Jalapeños, increase the amount based on spice tolerance. Slice these lengthwise, being careful to avoid some seeds. You don’t have to worry about removing all the seeds. Roughly slice and add to the bowl.

Slice or tear the stems off your bunch of cilantro. Discard the stems (compost preferably). Slice or tear the remaining cilantro and add to the bowl.

Squeeze out another quarter or remaining half of lime into the bowl. Adjust depending on your desired lime level.

Measure out or eyeball and add the spices.

Blend to your desired chunkiness.

Taste with some chips as this will let you adjust and prevent over-salting.

Once seasoned to your liking, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes beforehand.

This will keep fresh in an airtight container for about 3 days, but will you want to look at it in the fridge for that long? No way, enjoy it while fresh!

That’s all for now, and remember that Dad Bods Cook!