Tangy, bright, and alive with active cultures, this salsa verde swaps the usual squeeze of lime for a few days of lacto-fermentation and comes out even more complex for it.
Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatillos, husked and quartered
- 1 jalapeño, roughly chopped
- 1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 1/2 tbsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups filtered water
- Juice of 1 lime, added after fermentation
Instructions
- Pulse tomatillos, jalapeño, onion, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor until coarsely chopped, not pureed.
- Dissolve the salt in the filtered water to make a brine.
- Pack the vegetable mixture into a clean quart jar and pour the brine over, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Weigh the solids down with a fermentation weight so everything stays submerged.
- Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature, out of direct sun, for 3 to 5 days, tasting daily.
- Once pleasantly sour, stir in lime juice, transfer to the fridge, and blend to your preferred texture before serving.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Calories | 20 |
| Total fat | 0g |
| Total carbohydrates | 4g |
| Dietary fiber | 1g |
| Protein | 1g |
| Sodium | 320mg |
Why This Is Good for Your Gut
The salt brine creates conditions where Lactobacillus plantarum naturally present on the tomatillos and onion multiplies, producing lactic acid and, over the fermentation window, a modest but real population of live cultures that can support microbial diversity when the salsa is eaten raw and unheated.
Salsa with a pulse, more or less.
This recipe is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.
