Salsa Verde o Roja Cruda

Name: Salsa Verde o Roja Cruda
Ingredients: 12 oz. tomatillos (about 8 medium), husks removed, rinsed, quartered, or 12 oz. tomatoes, cored, quartered; ½ medium avocado (optional; for making salsa verde); ¼ medium white onion, coarsely chopped; 1 garlic clove; 1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped; ¼ cup (packed) cilantro leaves with tender stems; 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more; 1–2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (optional; for making salsa roja)

By Rick Martinez

August 18, 2020

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Photo by Laura Murray, food styling by Susie Theodorou

“What’s the ideal way to use up a looooot of leftovers?” wonders Rick Martinez. “Tacos—which you can make out of just about anything as long as you have a highly versatile salsa to pull it all together (even when it means week-old fried rice or a few surplus meatballs).” And this standby recipe, using peak-season tomatoes in the summer or tomatillos the rest of the year, is it. Plus, it lasts five days in the fridge or up to a month if you freeze it.

Recipe notes

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Gourmet’s Classic Ratatouille

Summer’s best produce cooked into one vibrant, silky, flavor-packed dish.

Crispy Salmon With Avocado Sauce

You’ll want to put this creamy (but dairy-free) green sauce on everything and it’s particularly sublime under crispy-skinned salmon.