Zesty, vibrant, smooth, and supremely dunkable.
As a person who grew up in Washington state, my memories of Mexican food are this: the default for tacos was hard shell, the best salsa was Safeway Select brand, and “Chevys Fresh Mex” was considered a pretty authentic Mexican restaurant.
Since moving to California I’ve learned that street tacos are where it’s at, salsa is a food group, and Chevys is crap.
My husband—a native Californian—has taught me—a poser from the Pacific Northwest—all these things about Mexican cuisine, and much, much more. Of the revelations I am most grateful for, salsa verde is top of the list.
While I still love a tomatoey salsa roja (even if it’s store-brand), a zesty salsa verde is a whole different sensation. In case you’re a noob like me, let me give you the gist: it’s tomatillos that provide the bright, tangy zip and “verde vibrance” that defines this type of salsa.
Using my husband’s base recipe for it, we developed our own version that includes backyard summer squash. Not only does this help with our squash surplus, but we also appreciate the mellow summery sweetness, and smooth, almost creamy consistency it imparts.
If any makes it past the chip-dipping stage, I will serve this zucchini salsa verde with burrito bowls, tostadas, tortas, quesadillas, and tacos (hard or soft shell). Really, I like it with just about any authentic Mexican cuisine…and Mexican-ish food can certainly benefit too.
More like this Zucchini Salsa Verde:
For other applications of salsa verde, check out my collection of recipes here, which includes enchiladas, lazy enchiladas, and salsa verde chicken thighs or tilapia. If you’ve got more zucchini and summer squash to use, check out my collection of recipes for those too.
Zucchini Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- 8 oz (about 5 medium) tomatillos husked and cut in half
- 8 oz (about 1 medium) zucchini or summer squash cut into large chunks
- 1 small white or yellow onion cut into quarters
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 4 jalapeños stems removed and cut in half lengthwise (seeds removed if desired)
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add tomatillos, summer squash, onion, garlic, and jalapeños.
- Boil vegetables for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatillos are starting to split open and vegetables are very soft.
- Transfer to a blender along with cilantro, salt, and zest plus juice of lime. Blend until smooth.
