Name: Mexican green cilantro salsa verde
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients: 1 large bunch fresh cilantro (~50 g), leaves and tender stems; 4 tomatillos (or 2 small green tomatoes + juice of ½ extra lime); 1 small white onion, roughly chopped; 2 garlic cloves, peeled; 1–2 jalapeños or serrano chilies, stem removed (seeds in for spicier); Juice of 1 lime; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; ½ tsp flaky sea salt; 1 pinch ground cumin

I

Ingredients for 6

Scale

1 largebunch fresh cilantro (~50 g), leaves and tender stems
4 tomatillos(or 2 small green tomatoes + juice of ½ extra lime)
1 smallwhite onion, roughly chopped
2 garliccloves, peeled
1–2 jalapeños or serrano chilies, stem removed (seeds in for spicier)
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp flaky sea salt
1 pinchground cumin

II

Method

I
Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos, rinse well — they are sticky.
II
Char the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chilies briefly under a hot broiler or in a dry cast-iron pan (~4 minutes per side) until blistered but still bright. This deepens flavor.
III
Transfer everything hot to a blender or food processor.
IV
Add the cilantro (stems included — the stems have the most flavor), lime juice, olive oil, salt, and cumin.
V
Pulse to a chunky sauce — 5–6 short pulses. Do not over-purée or it turns bitter and pale.
VI
Taste, adjust salt and lime. If too thick, add 1–2 tbsp water.
VII
Rest 10 minutes for flavors to meld. Serve within a day for peak brightness.

III

Notes & variations

Cilantro stems are more flavorful than the leaves — never discard them. If you are one of the ~20% of people for whom cilantro tastes soapy (a genetic variant, OR6A2), substitute flat-leaf parsley for a milder version.

Culinary use only

This is a culinary recipe. It is not medical advice. Some plants have contraindications or interact with medication — check the linked plant profile before use, and consult a healthcare professional for medicinal questions.

IV

Featured from the herbarium

1 plant

Coriandrum sativum

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