The 25 Best Tomatillo Recipes
From traditional Mexican dishes to fun and creative cocktails (and even a pizza) these are our favorite ways to use this tangy green fruit.
Related To:
Photo By: David Lang ©David Lang
Photo By: Tara Donne
Photo By: Justin Walker
Photo By: Todd Plitt ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
©2012, Food Network
Photo By: MU2 PRODUCTIONS
Photo By: David Katz
Photo By: Matt Armendariz ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Photo By: Armando Rafael
Photo By: Stephen Johnson ©2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Photo By: The Youngrens ©Copyright: 2011 The Youngrens, Inc
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatillos are a close relative to gooseberries but resemble green tomatoes in taste and appearance. They've been a vital part of Mexican cuisine for millennia. Whether you’re growing tomatillos at home or have picked up a few at your local farmer’s market, you’ll find that there are many uses for these tangy fruits. This tomatillo salsa is a classic way of preparing tomatillos and has been enjoyed in Mexico probably as long as people have been eating tacos. This recipe makes a lot, which is a good thing, because you're going to want to slather this on everything!
Get the Recipe: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Shredded Chicken and Tomatillo Tacos with Queso Fresco
Bobby Flay brings the flavor to the party with these light and easy-to-prepare tacos. All you have to do is charr the veggies for the salsa because this recipe calls for a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, making this an ideal recipe for a weeknight meal.
Get the Recipe: Shredded Chicken and Tomatillo Tacos with Queso Fresco
Latino-Style Shrimp and Rice
This is an adaptation of a Latin American-style dish that has many variations throughout the Spanish-speaking world. It's a brothy sort of rice dish that is hearty enough to not be a soup but definitely more slurpable than a rice pilaf. Tomatillos give their signature bright flavor and color to this dish.
Get the Recipe: Saucy Tomatillo Shrimp and Rice Bowls
Pork and Tomatillo Chili
If you're used to the ground meat type of chilli, then this is going to be a revelation. This recipe is a riff on chilli verde, which is popular in Colorado and the Southwest. Pork shoulder gets slowly braised with charred tomatillos in addition to roasted poblano and jalapeno chiles for a full-flavored, comforting treat in a bowl.
Get the Recipe: Pork and Tomatillo Chili
Tomatillo Shakshuka
Mexico meets North Africa in this decadent fusion dish. Shakshuka is a hearrty egg dish from Morocco that has also become very popular in Israel. It's traditionally made with tomatoes, but this version swaps out the red fruit for its green cousins: tomatillos! Enjoy this for a leisurely Sunday brunch or whenever you want to put something unique on the table.
Get the Recipe: Tomatillo Shakshuka
Roasted Tomatillo Salmon
Most recipes call for pureeing tomatillos, but Marcela Valladolid wants you to enjoy the full texture of this native Mexican ingredient. Rich salmon gets simply paired with sliced tomatillos, red onion and a sprinkle of fresh herbs for a simple meal that will transform how you view salmon.
Get the Recipe: Roasted Tomatillo Salmon
Charred Tomatillo Margarita Salsa
Tequila belongs in more than just drinks. If you don't believe us, then try out this smokey salsa that includes a generous pour of tequila. If you add an aged tequila, you'll have those funky caramel notes marry the roasted chiles and charred tomatillos for an unforgettable flavor.
Get the Recipe: Charred Tomatillo Margarita Salsa
Enchiladas Suizas
Even though their name implies that they come from Switzerland, these enchiladas are a Mexican original born at the Sanborns department store's restaurant. You can still tuck into these lusciously creamy enchiladas at almost any Sanborns location, but if you can't make it to Mexico City, you can recreate the experience at home with this recipe.
Get the Recipe: Enchiladas Suizas
Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
Tomatillo sauce is a favorite addition to traditional Mexican-style enchiladas. The slight tang of these celedon fruits is a great counterbalance to the richness of the filling and the cascade of melty cheese.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa
Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Tomatillo Sauce
Churrasco (skirt steak) and tomatillos are a match made in culinary heaven. These meaty tacos combine this kitchen power couple with sweet pineapple salsa and creamy avocado wrapped in a corn tortilla for perhaps one of the most sophisticated tacos you'll try.
Get the Recipe: Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak Tacos with Pineapple Salsa and Tomatillo Sauce
Tomatillo Bloody Mary
This green version of the traditional brunchtime savory cocktal is an invention of the genius Geoffrey Zakarian. Instead of tomato juice, this cocktail uses pureed tomatillos accented with a kick of horseradish, some pickle juice and cucumber.
Get the Recipe: Verde Maria
Tomatillo Scallop Ceviche
This take on a Mexican-style ceviche requires no cooking (at least not in the conventional sense). Tangy tomatillos combine with puckery lime juice to cure coins of sliced seas scallops, essentially "cooking them." Make sure to have plenty of tortilla chips for scooping this ambrosia up.
Get the Recipe: Tomatillo Scallop Ceviche
Tomatillo Guacamole
Tart tomatillos and creamy avocado join forces in delicious matrimony when you make this guacamole. Jalapeno adds some fresh heat, while smashed garlic makes this dip irresistably tasty. A sprinkle of ground cumin gives an earthy, nutty note to this simple recipe.
Get the Recipe: Tomatillo Guacamole
Garlicky Pork Stew Salsa Verde
Get ready to add tomatillos to your shopping list every week! We simmer cubes of pork shoulder in a tomatillo-and-jalapeno-infused broth for a meal we're sure your family will ask you to make again — and again.
Get the Recipe: Garlicky Pork Stew Salsa Verde
Quesadilla with Goat Cheese, Asparagus, Mushrooms and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
This recipe replicates the flavors of a traditional style of Mexican quesadilla made with corn tortillas and fried until crisp. These are a lighter, meat-free alternative with fresh veggies. The tomatillo salsa is there for dipping.
Get the Recipe: Quesadilla with Goat Cheese, Asparagus, Mushrooms and Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Shrimp-Tomatillo Cocktail
Another innovative favorite from the master of Southwest cooking, Bobby Flay. This time Flay brings us the best of classic shrimp cocktail but with the bright flavors of tomatillo, which he combines with horseradish for a one-two punch of heat.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp-Tomatillo Cocktail
Taco Pizza al Pastor with Tomatillo Salsa
Tacos al pastor, pizza, and tomatillo salsa? May sound too good to be true, but leave it to Molly Yeh to come up with this genius combination. Tacos al pastor is a Mexico City original, consisting of spit-roasted pork and charred pineapple. This gets added to a homemade crust right after a generous layer of tomatillo salsa before going under the oven beneath a layer of stretchy Oaxaca cheese.
Get the Recipe: Taco Pizza al Pastor with Tomatillo Salsa
Tomahawk Pork Chops with Tomatillo-Green Tomato Chowchow
Take an express train right into Flavortown with Guy Fieri's breaded fried pork chops. The tomatillo gets added to a Southern-inpsired chow chow — a sweet and tangy relish that is sure to become your new favorite condiment.
Get the Recipe: Tomahawk Pork Chops with Tomatillo-Green Tomato Chowchow
Roasted Tomatillo and Beef Nachos
Most nacho recipes include beef seasoned with the typical blend of spices and maybe a bit of tomato. If you're tired of the same old nachos but still want that Tex-Mex flavor, try out these this recipe from Eddie Jackson, which is delightfully straightforward to make but yields results so tasty it'll blow your mind!
Get the Recipe: Roasted Tomatillo and Beef Nachos
Charred Corn Salad with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
This salad is a symphony of flavors — like attending a show at Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City but for your tastebuds! Smokey charred corn gets mixed with a tomatillo salsa and a creamy dressing before getting chopped with sharp cotija cheese.
Get the Recipe: Charred Corn Salad with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
Baked Eggs with Salsa Verde
This 5-star recipe has fans raving that it's "simple and flavorful" — a dish even picky eaters love. Best of all, the recipe makes more tomatillo salsa than is needed for the eggs, which means you'll have it on hand for tacos, tortilla chips and more.
Get the Recipe: Baked Eggs with Salsa Verde
Pork Cracklings with Green Salsa (Chicharrones en Salsa Verde)
This is a favorite filling for Mexican-style tacos, as well as pupusas (a stuffed corn tortilla dish from El Salvador). All you need is a bag of pork cracklings, like the kind you get at a corner store or bodega, to mix into the emerald-colred sauce and you have yourself a quick, zesty taco filling.
Get the Recipe: Pork Cracklings with Green Salsa (Chicharrones en Salsa Verde)
Fried Tomatillos With Apple and Ham
If you're a fan of fried green tomatoes, then you have to give this recipe for fried tomatillos a try. The tart little wedges of green fruit are soaked in seasoned buttermilk before getting dredged in a cornmeal breading and fried utnil crispy. An herbaceous sauté of ham and apples covers the little fritters for a flavor explosion with each bite.
Get the Recipe: Fried Tomatillos With Apple and Ham
Braised Chicken with Tomatillos and Jalapenos
Anne Burell's chicken stew takes hints from traditional Mexican cooking techniques, like charring the tomatillos before pureeing them to make a luscious sauce. The finishing touch is a refreshing lime-accented sour cream drizzle.
Get the Recipe: Braised Chicken with Tomatillos and Jalapenos
Chicken in Green Pipian Sauce
Pipian (or pepian) is a dish with many variations throughout Latin America. This Mexican version includes a rich, thick sauce made from a puré of tomatillos and pumpkin seeds. Marcela Valladolid suggests pouring the sauce on roasted chicken breasts, although we won't blame you for eating this sauce with chips.
Get the Recipe: Chicken in Green Pipian Sauce
