Fresh Tomato and Tomatillo Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
The “dog days of summer” have arrived, and this Fresh Tomato and Tomatillo Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing is a perfect way to use vine-ripened or heirloom tomatoes and tangy fresh tomatillos. Drizzled with a cilantro-lime dressing, and garnished with avocado and cotija, you’re going to love this quick and easy, fresh tasting salad recipe!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – Tomatillos and Tomatoes
Roasted tomatillo salsa verde and the fresh tomatillo salsa I grew up on are both awesome, but there’s a lot more to tomatillos than salsa! Recently, I have used them in a pork and tomatillo stew and fish in creamy tomatillo sauce. Both recipes rely on lots of other ingredients.
I wanted to do a recipe that showcases this ubiquitous Mexican fruit alongside the best of late summer tomatoes. This tomato and tomatillo salad, in its simplicity, does just that!
For this salad to shine, you will want to choose beautiful, vine-ripened tomatoes, and young, small tomatillos. “Grocery store” commercially available tomatoes probably won’t be impressive.
How to Choose Tomatillos
- Tomatillos are typically green, but you will also find purple and yellow
- Choose firm, smooth fruit without blemishes
- The husks don’t need to be perfectly intact, but you’ll want to see just a hint of the fruit peeking out!
- For this salad, choose smaller tomatillos.
How to Choose the Tomatoes
- My best advice? Get out of the grocery store! 😂 That’s not fair… Some markets have lovely heirloom or vine-ripened tomatoes, but farmers’ markets are a great place to look. If you’re lucky, you may have vines in your own garden.
- Choose ripe tomatoes with taut, shiny skins, and no bruising. Resist the urge to pinch or squeeze!
- A ripe tomato should pass a sniff test – earthy and sweet.
📋 Ingredients Notes
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
Tomato and Tomatillo Salad
- tomatillos – When picking tomatillos, you’ll want to look at both the husk and the fruit inside. The husk should be dry and papery. A good tomatillo will usually fill out the husk so it feels firm and full inside. If the husk is loose and the fruit is small inside, it may be underripe. Firmness and husk condition matter more than size. NOTE: Splits in the husk are fine, but the fruit should be proportional to the husk.
- tomatoes – Beefsteak and heirloom are my favorite. Choose any good slicing tomato. On photo day, I just had some fairly ripe roma tomatoes, and they’re fine. Gently squeeze the tomato. It should be firm but give slightly under pressure.
- avocado – Avocado is delicious in this salad, but it is “optional.”
- cotija – Cotija is a tangy, salty, crumbly cheese. Feta would be a good substitute.
- fresh cilantro
Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- fresh cilantro
- limes – Please use fresh-squeezed lime juice!😉
- vinegar – My “go to” vinegar for salad dressings is sherry vinegar. White wine, red wine, and champagne vinegar are good options as well.
- dijon mustard
- sweetener – I specify agave nectar. You can substitute a different liquid sweetener (ie. honey). You can use a 1:1 ratio, but agave nectar is a little sweeter than honey. Taste it, and add a little more as preferred.
- olive oil
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
- Make the dressing – Add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Season and set aside.
- Prepare the salad ingredients – Thin slice the tomatoes and tomatillos. Crumble the cotija if using. Cube or slice the avocado. Chop the cilantro.
- Assemble the salad – Layer the tomatoes and tomatillos on an appropriate platter. Top with avocado if using, then garnish with crumbled cotija and chopped cilantro. Lastly, drizzle with the cilantro-lime dressing.
❓FAQ
Not really. It might be edible, but it’s amazing when it’s fresh!
💡 Tips
Once you bring them home, keep tomatillos in their husks in a paper bag in the fridge; they’ll last up to 2–3 weeks.
For purposes of this salad, the tomatillos should be very fresh. However, if you’re using them in a cooked preparation, you can freeze them in zip bags whole until ready to use.
Tomato and Tomatillo Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
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Ingredients
Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- ½ cup cilantro leaves - lightly packed
- juice of 2 limes - about 2 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon sherry or white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon agave nectar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt and several grinds pepper
Tomato and Tomatillo Salad
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes
- 2 small to medium tomatillos
- 1 avocado - cubed or sliced (optional)
- 1 ounce cotija - crumbled (optional)
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Make the dressing – Add all ingredients to a food processor. Blend until smooth. Season and set aside.
- Prepare the salad ingredients – Thin slice the tomatoes and tomatillos. Crumble the cotija if using. Cube or slice the avocado. Chop the cilantro.
- Assemble the salad – Layer the tomatoes and tomatillos on an appropriate platter. Top with avocado if using, then garnish with crumbled cotija and chopped cilantro. Lastly, drizzle with the cilantro-lime dressing.
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Is there a trick to have the yogurt not curdle in the creamy poblano chicken recipe? Thanks Tammy, these all look so good and I’m going to do several.
Hi Patty! I updated the post to try to clarify. If you add the yogurt and crème fraiche to the blender with the broth and half of the poblano peppers, it should not curdle. The trick is to reheat gently. I have not had it curdle, but I’m sure it can happen. Good luck, and thanks for your question!