Charred Tomatillo Salad Recipes

MEXICAN CHARRED TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Line a heavy cast iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange tomatillos, chiles de arbol, and garlic in a single layer on top. Grill until chiles are blackened, turning as necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Continue grilling tomatillos and garlic until they are evenly blackened, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Peel garlic and place in a mortar and pestle. Season with salt and pound into a thick paste. Add chiles; pound until smooth. Add as many tomatillos as you can fit in your mortar; pound until chunky. Transfer salsa to a bowl. Repeat with remaining tomatillos, mixing them into the bowl of salsa in batches.

CHARRED ROMAINE WITH TOMATILLO DRESSING

Steps:

• Tomatillo Dressing:
• Bring onion, tomatillo, jalapeño, garlic, and 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until onion is very tender, 6-8 minutes; let cool. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.
• Purée onion mixture with avocado and cilantro leaves in a blender. With motor running, gradually add oil and 2 tablespoons cooking liquid and blend until combined.
• Add lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
• Salad and Assembly:
• Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Grill poblano, turning occasionally, until charred and blistered, 6-8 minutes. Let cool. Peel and finely chop.
• Drizzle cut sides of romaine with oil; season with salt. Grill, cut side down, until charred, about 3 minutes. Turn and grill just until warmed through, about 30 seconds.
• Spoon dressing onto plates and top with romaine, charred side up, avocado, onion, and poblano. Drizzle with lime juice; season lightly with salt. Scatter Cotija cheese and chopped cilantro stems over.

CHARRED TOMATILLO DRESSING

Steps:

• Place tomatillos directly over open flame of gas stove or broil until charred, 3-5 minutes, turning to char entire outside.
• Cut into chunks and place into the bottom of a blender with remaining ingredients for dressing. Blend until smooth. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve over southwest salad.
• For my salad, I used baby kale, butter lettuce, black beans, corn, cheese stick cut into slices, crushed tortilla chips and tomatoes.

CHARRED TOMATILLO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler to high and adjust an oven rack to the top level.
• Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
• Dice the peppers and onion into bite-size pieces (about 1/2 inch).
• Place the tomatillos stem-side down on a sheet pan and place under the broiler. Char until the tops are blackened, about 3 minutes. Flip and broil 3 more minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, heat a large cast-iron skillet on high heat and add the peppers and onions. Spread them out in an even layer and sear in the dry skillet until lightly charred, about 4 minutes.
• Dice the tomatillos into 1/2-inch chunks. Toss all the vegetables into the bowl with the lime dressing. Stir in the diced avocado and top with the cilantro, queso fresco and toasted pepitas.

CHARRED CORN SALAD WITH CREAMY TOMATILLO DRESSING

Steps:

• For the guacamole: Combine the cilantro, tomatillos, garlic, avocado, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, cumin and salt in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Set aside 1/2 cup of the guacamole for the creamy tomatillo dressing, and use remaining guacamole for another recipe.
• For the charred corn salad: Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Brush or rub each ear of corn with the canola oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill the corn until it gets a nice char, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes. Stand each ear stalk-end down, in a wide, shallow bowl and slice the kernels off using your knife.
• Combine the corn kernels, lime juice, avocado, Fresno chiles and red onions in a large bowl.
• For the creamy tomatillo dressing: Mix together the mayonnaise, 1/2 cup tomatillo guacamole, hot sauce, chili powder and cumin. Add to the corn salad and toss to combine.
• Fold in the cilantro and crumbled cotija and season with salt.
• Serving suggestion: Portion the salad into small cups, squeeze additional lime over the top, and serve with a spoon.