Cooking Series: Avocado-and-Roasted-Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

By Tim Cushman

Updated on February 20, 2025

Source: Food & Wine

Photo Source: Unsplash,

Avocado-and-Roasted-Tomatillo Salsa

Charred tomatillos, chiles, and alliums add a light smokiness to this guacamole-adjacent dip.

Active Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Servings: 12

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound tomatillos — husked, cored, and quartered

• 3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed and peeled

• 1 jalapeño, stemmed and halved

• 1 leek, white part only, coarsely chopped

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 2 Hass avocados — peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican, crumbled

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• Salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño, and leek with the oil and spread in a single layer. Roast the vegetables until lightly charred and softened, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a blender and let cool.

2. Add the avocados, cilantro, sugar, cumin, and 1/2 cup of water and puree until smooth. Add the onion, oregano, and lime juice and pulse once or twice until incorporated. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and season with salt. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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About this recipe

For this tomatillo-avocado salsa, chef Tim Cushman complements the creamy avocado with roasted tomatillos, garlic, leeks, and jalapeño to create a guacamole-like dip. Roasting the vegetables before pureeing them with the avocado adds a pleasant smokiness while also mellowing the tart, green tomatillos and the spice of the chiles — and giving the chopped leeks just a hint of caramelized sweetness. Serve with tortilla chips for a fresh, satisfyingly tangy snack.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do you have to peel tomatillos for salsa?

  Removing the actual skin of the tomatillo fruit is not necessary when cooking with tomatillos, but you will need to remove the husk: the thin, papery covering (the botanical term is "calyx") that surrounds the fruit like a delicate shell. It's good to buy tomatillos with the husks still on, as they protect the fruit from bruising and help them continue to ripen. Removing the husks can be fiddly — one trick to speeding up the process is to quickly submerge the tomatillos in boiling water for around 15 seconds, which will loosen the husks and make them easy to slip off. Be sure to let the tomatillos cool a bit before handling.

• What is the sticky stuff on tomatillos?

  Part of what makes tomatillo husks a chore to remove is the stick factor. Under the husks, these fruits — much like Cape gooseberries, a close relative — are coated in a naturally sticky, slimy substance that forms a film on the shiny surface. This sap-like stuff protects the tomatillos from pests and diseases as it grows, but should be removed before eating or processing by rinsing the fruit thoroughly under running water.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

This recipe calls for Mexican oregano, which is actually a completely different plant from the oregano you'll typically find in the herbs and spices aisle. Mexican oregano (Lippia graveolens) is native to North America and is part of the broader verbena family — it tastes similar to the common oregano that originated in the Mediterranean, but with a floral, citrusy character that sets it apart. It's sometimes stocked in larger grocery stores and is also available online through spice purveyors like Penzeys. Common oregano will also work just fine in this recipe.

Make ahead

The tomatillo-and-avocado salsa can be refrigerated overnight.

Originally appeared: July 2009

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