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My Roasted Tomatillo and Hatch Green Chile Salsa is so versatile... Try it with chips, on your favorite taco, or as a finishing sauce on Mexican spice rubbed and grilled pork chops!
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You know you are from New Mexico when you have an extra freezer just for chile.
~~ Local humor.
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks (About Hatch Green Chile and This Salsa)
There is nothing like the smoky, fruity heat of New Mexico's "claim to fame" - Hatch green chile. Every New Mexican has a different "recipe" for salsa verde (green sauce). You're likely to find both fresh and cooked versions, with and without lime juice, chunk or smooth, etc. After 22 years in Las Cruces - a mere 30 minute drive from Hatch, New Mexico - I definitely have my own opinions on how to use those beautiful green pods!
You can (successfully I might add!) substitute roasted poblanos, anaheims, jalapeños, etc., but my heart belongs to the earthy heat of Hatch green chile!
Let me explain what this sauce is NOT. This is not a green chile enchilada sauce recipe. If you are fortunate enough to have enjoyed a plate of traditional Hatch green chile enchiladas (with or without a fried runny egg), you are aware that the sauce truly highlights the green chile in its simplicity.
This thick, rich sauce bursts with the complex flavors achieved in the maillard reaction. The maillard reaction, simply put, is the chemical reaction that occurs between amino acids and reducing sugars that give browned foods their depth of flavor.
Some foods cry out for the bright acidity of a pico de gallo or salsa fresca (think fish tacos), while others pair better with the bold, earthy flavors of salsa verde (like chunky pork carnitas). This recipe makes a about 4 cups; much of it will be frozen for later use.
📋 Ingredients
- 8-10 tomatillos
- 1 pound Hatch green chile , (see notes)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 bulb garlic, halved horizontally (see photo in post)
- olive oil, to drizzle
- 1 bunch cilantro/coriander, cut at the base of the leaves
- broth/stock/water to thin
- sea salt and ground pepper to taste.
🎥 Video
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
- Roast the vegetables - Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I cook on "convection roast," and my oven makes the adjustment to 400 degrees. Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse. They will be sticky, but it disappears in the roasting process. Place them on a baking sheet. Add the quartered onion, garlic halves, and green chile if it needs to be roasted. Drizzle with olive oil, and place in hot oven. Roast 20-30 minutes until well caramelized and some charring is present. Remove, and set aside to cool.
- Prepare the roasted ingredients - Once cool, pop garlic out of its skin, remove blackened skins, seeds, and stems from chile if necessary, add the roasted vegetables and cilantro to the bowl of your food processor.
- Note: I add chopped chile after pulsing the other vegetables and cilantro. Feel free to add them in at the same time.
- Finish the salsa verde - Pulse until desired consistency, adding liquid as needed. Season to taste.
👩🏻🍳 What Can I Serve This With?
The day I made this batch of salsa, I "pulled out all the stops," and made Mexican Spiced Pork Chops With Salsa Verde and Cotija. I grilled beautiful bone-in pork chops after applying a Mexican spice rub. The grilled chops were topped with the salsa verde, then garnished with crumbled cotija and chopped cilantro. The main dish was accompanied by cilantro rice and roasted delicata squash finished with a honey, lime juice, and chipotle glaze. Picante pero deliciosa!
A few more delicious options...
- chips (I spray tortillas with cooking spray and bake 10-15 minutes until golden brown)
- tacos (especially made with my pulled pork)
- in my salmon in mole verde sauce
- in my mole verde bowls
💭 Tips and FAQ
Does the salsa verde keep well? YES! I typically make a large batch and freeze any not used immediately in quart zip bags for later use.
Can I double the recipe? YES! I often double the recipe as it freezes beautifully. Keeps for months in the freezer if properly stored.
What if I can't get Hatch green chile? You may have noticed in the photo above the package of Hot Hatch Green Chile from The Hatch Chile Store. Last year, I was delighted to be able to purchase a 25 pound sack of green chile and have it roasted at my local HEB market. This year, however, HEB did not supply the chile to the Rio Grande Valley. Fortunately, quality chile is available via the Hatch Chile Store! It arrived in perfect 1 pound bags and still nearly frozen.
Substitutions? I crave this salsa, and if I can't get Hatch chile, I will roast poblanos or even jalapenos. Anaheims are fine if you don't need the heat (I do). Roasted green chile is important to balance the acidity of the tomatillos. Be sure to roast green chiles with other vegetables, then peel, seed, and chop them.
Helpful hint: Green chile gets hotter as it sits in your freezer. I received medium, medium hot, and hot, and elected to use the hot chile up first! 🙂 Starting with roasted, peeled, and chopped chile means less work when you make the salsa.
Do you have a favorite salsa? How do you like to serve it? Inquiring minds want to know!
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📖 Recipe
Roasted Tomatillo and Hatch Green Chile Salsa
A flavorful, bold, earthy salsa of roasted tomatillos, Hatch green chile, onion, and a full bulb of garlic brightened with fresh cilantro!
Ingredients
- 8-10 tomatillos
- 1 pound Hatch green chile , (see notes)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 bulb garlic, halved horizontally (see photo in post)
- olive oil, to drizzle
- 1 bunch cilantro/coriander, cut at the base of the leaves
- broth/stock/water to thin
- sea salt and ground pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. I cook on "convection roast," and my oven makes the adjustment to 400 degrees.
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse. They will be sticky, but it disappears in the roasting process. Place them on a baking sheet.
- Add the quartered onion, garlic halves, and green chile if it needs to be roasted.
- Drizzle with olive oil, and place in hot oven.
- Roast 20-30 minutes until well caramelized and some charring is present.
- Remove, and set aside to cool.
- Once cool, pop garlic out of its skin, remove blackened skins, seeds, and stems from chile if necessary, add the roasted vegetables and cilantro to the bowl of your food processor.
- Note: I add chopped chile after pulsing the other vegetables and cilantro. Feel free to add them in at the same time.
- Pulse until desired consistency, adding liquid as needed.
- Season to taste.
Notes
If you can't get Hatch green chile, substitute a few Anaheim chiles and a couple of jalapeño or serrano for heat. It all depends on your preferred heat level!
Whether you use Hatch green chile, or another green chile, you want the chile peeled, stemmed and seeded before you process it. If you roast the chile on the baking sheet with the other ingredients, be sure to removed the skins, the stems, and the seeds. If you start with already roasted and peeled chile (like I do), you can skip this step.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
2 tbspAmount Per Serving: Calories: 40
Pete Gustafson says
We were lucky enough for a very short time to have Hatch chilis at our nearby Sprouts.... and with a group get together in the mountains tomorrow made a double batch, so we can freeze some of course. Turned out really quite wonderful. Thank you once again ... will give credit where it is due as we celebrate with friends.
Tamara says
I'm so glad you like it! It really is the favorite at our house... Thanks for taking time to send feedback; it isn't often that I get. Enjoy your celebration!
Laura says
Do you leave the skin on the tomatillos after roasting? They didnt blacken and blister like the peppers, hence the question. Love how my house smells right now!
Tamara says
Hi Laura! I'm sorry I'm just now seeing this... Yes, the skins should be blackened and blistered like the peppers. I'm guessing the peppers were further from the heat element? I haven't done this recipe without peeling them, but it might be okay since the chiles are finely chopped? My friend has a blog post that goes into detail on roasting chiles in the oven. I prefer to use the gas grill, but sometimes I use my broiler with the sheet pan very close. I choose the flattest chiles I can find and turn them often. Hope this helps, and good luck!
Jeff S. Bray says
After roasting the peppers, do they need to be peeled before putting into processor? You say to deseed and stem, but I have seen others peel the roasted pepper.
Tamara says
Hi Jeff! I apologize for not responding sooner. I am in Peru, and just now was able to login to my WordPress account. I typically respond same day...
I'm sorry the instructions in the recipe card aren't clear. The post itself mentions peeling the chiles, but the recipe card does not. I will update the recipe card. Since leaving southern NM, I get my chiles frozen from Hatch, NM. and they have the seeds and stems but not the the blackened skins. I also often use Bueno chopped chile that comes already peeled, seeded, and stems removed. You definitely want to removed the skins.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me! Best, Tamara.
Tisha says
Love this green chile salsa! Hatch Chilis are amazin
Tamara says
Thank you Tisha! Since leaving Las Cruces, NM., and heading to south Texas, it's gotten harder to get them! We do still manage a few pounds every year. 🙂
Anasazi says
OK, I've had a bag of hatch chile peppers in the fridge for about a week. I'm gonna give your recipe a try because it sounds like how I'd make it even if I didn't see a recipe. I think you have all the main ingredients (garlic lover here) and I'm going in the kitchen. I'll let you know and the reaction of my guests. :))))
Tamara says
Yay! Thank you for taking the time to write! I hope you love it as much as we do... I'd love to hear back!
Martha Hawkins says
My husband is off getting the hatch chilies that are here being roasted from New Mexico. I am in California. I started looking for a Recipes and found yours which look spectacular. I love tomatillos. I was wondering about the Enchiladas recipe you referred to. I would love to have it and I didn’t find a link for it. You had mentioned that the salsa recipe was not to be confused with the Enchiladas sauce recipe.
Tamara says
Hi Martha! I haven't done a recipe and probably should, but I left NM for south Texas 3 years ago... It's so simple though. Make a roux with vegetable oil, cumin, garlic, and flour. I'd use about 2-3 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and enough flour to make a thick paste. Whisk in chicken or vegetable stock and allow to come to a boil. You want a fairly thin gravy. Then add chopped green chile. I'd use about 2 cups. Add salt and pepper to taste. When making the enchiladas, I warm the tortillas in a tortilla warmer (rather than frying). I layer green chile sauce, cheese (we like sharp cheddar), chopped scallions. I usually do 3 tortillas per person. I finish with sauce and cheese, then add a soft fried egg on top! It's so amazing and really simple... Enjoy those chiles, and the salsa freezes really well (if it doesn't last that long)!
Tamara says
Hubby agrees I should do the enchiladas. I am not good at getting a newsletter out, but if you follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/beyondmeresustenance/) my latest posts go out there on the day. I'll try to get to it in August.
Mark says
My favorite salsa ever! It's perfect on all kinds of tacos, and I love it on my eggs in the morning...
Tamara says
I'm glad you love it!
Susan Galloway says
Our local Wegman's grocery story (best one on the planet!) is having Hatch pepper sort of festival and I bought a bushel. I looked through many recipes and finally decided on yours. AWESOME! I couldn't find enough fresh tomatillas so I used canned - that was the only variation from your recipe. I will keep this recipe - no reason to use any other. The roasted onion, garlic and Hatch peppers gave the salsa a refined and mellow flavor, but the cilantro still gave it some brightness. Very nice. Thank you.
Tamara says
Awesome Susan! I really appreciate feedback, and don't get it all that often, so THANK YOU! I'm really glad you love the recipe, and that you are able to find Hatch green chiles! Happy cooking!
Ted says
Loved this recipe. it is quite hot and I eat chiles. Didn't seed chiles, in stead boosted lime juice and added maybe 1/3 c honey. I bought green Hatch chiles already roasted at the grocery, so added reserved chiles water from roasting. Really made a difference. Trying to hide some from my friends.
Tamara says
I am so glad you love the salsa recipe! Good luck hanging on to some of it 🙂 I typically freeze half so it lasts a little longer...
Maggie says
I stumbled upon some hatch chiles at the grocery store for $.88/lb and thought "hey, why not! I've heard good things about these so surely I can find something to do with them." I just whipped this recipe up and WOW. It is by far the best salsa I've ever made and definitely some of the best salsa I've ever had. I may add a bit of lime juice in it. THANK YOU for this recipe. FANTASTIC! I'm off to buy more peppers 🙂
Tamara says
Thanks Maggie! I love to hear feedback after people make my recipes! We've gotten to where we always want to roast everything first... I think it just intensifies the flavors. Go get more chile!
Elizabeth says
Oh yum. After living in Northern New Mexico, we became totally addicted to Hatch Chiles, green and in the lovely ristras of dried red. I keep the roasted green ones in my freezer at all times. This year, I am growing some old varieties of tomatillos in our garden this year (from NativeSeed Search). Some of these are blooming now, so when I have a few, I am for certain going to put them to good use with this recipe. Thanks for sharing. Can't wait!
Tamara says
Rosa Marie mentioned you had lived in northern New Mexico for about a year... We lived in Las Cruces for almost 22 years! My husband Mark was a professor in the Fisheries and Wildlife Department and Associate Dean of Honors at NMSU. Of course the Hatch green chile was a mainstay of our diet! I was so excited our first year in "the valley" to find fresh Hatch chile at the 10th and Trenton HEB, only to not be able to get it in the following year (2016). Apparently, our local market didn't respond well to the product. WEIRD. I miss having a ristra hanging on my front porch as a welcome! Let me know how you do with those tomatillos!
mjskitchen says
Bet your house smelled wonderful with all of that roasting going on! One bulb of garlic, green chile and tomatillos...I'm in heaven! What a great salsa and great idea to use it with grilled pork chops. Need to give a try for sure!
Tamara says
Thanks MJ! Yes, there's nothing like the smell of roasting vegetables 🙂 I did a simple spice rub of cumin, chipotle powder, lime zest, garlic, raw sugar, and sea salt on the pork chops, then grilled them. We topped with the salsa, some crumbled cotija, and chopped cilantro. Yum! I'm always looking for healthy ways to incorporate green chile 🙂
Jennifer @ Delicious Everyday says
This looks fabulous Tamara!! I know I'd love this. Sadly we can't get things like tomatillos and hatch chile's here in Australia. As for how I'd eat it, to be honest, I can't go past good corn chips and salsa. It's an absolute weakness of mine.
Tamara says
Thanks! And my heart goes out to you Jennifer! Seriously, though, an amazing vegetarian cook like you needs to have those two ingredients... You'd love it with your chips for sure 🙂