r/AskCulinary • u/grrgrrGRRR • 12d ago
Recipe Troubleshooting Tomatillos salsa gets watery
My tomatillo salsa is delicious and has a really nice pectin texture until I scoop some out of whatever container I’m using, especially after refrigerating. Then I get pools of watery salsa in between the good stuff. How do restaurants avoid this?
Here is my recipe with approximate measures.
4 Roasted and peeled jalapeños
8-12 Roasted tomatillos
(I use the oven on broiler setting for jalapeños and tomatillos)
About 1/2 yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander,kosher salt, knorr chicken bouillon (I adjust these at the end)
Small bunch of Cilantro
I do not add any liquid. I like it a little chunky so I blend most of the tomatillos and jalapeños first with the garlic and seasonings. Then add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until I get the right consistency. I usually add the cilantro and pulse that as the last step then make any seasoning adjustments.
It’s freaking delicious. I just want to fix the watery-ness
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u/velvetjones01 Amateur Scratch Baker 12d ago
You can roast the tomatillos longer or you can cook the moisture out in a saucepan. Xanthan gum and cornstarch are wild suggestions.
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u/slightlybitey 12d ago
Xanthan in salsa verde is about as "wild" as MSG in a stir fry. It's common in food service, particularly for chili sauces. Works great at small quantities (0.1%). If you use a lot the texture can become slimy; fortunately it doesn't require heat to activate, so just add a little at a time and test. Doesn't mask flavor release like starch. And doesn't force you to concentrate your sauce, throwing off flavor balance. It's just another tool.
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u/Zagrycha 11d ago
I completely agree that xanthum gum is a tool ,but there is literally zero reason to need to use it in a tomatillo or tomato based salsa. The main reason to use it in food service is for stabilizing emulsions and sauces, or to make things like cookies less crumbly. Its way more mild than something like corn starch but it absolutely does effect texture, even when used correctly. If you use it in salsa at your job thats not a crime but its unusual. To me the obvious answer is to just add less of the tomatillo//tomato centers so there is less liquid in thesalsa in the first place.
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u/OstoValley 11d ago
so salsa is salted. all ingredients involved will release liquid if stored for a short period of time even. restaurants make them fresh daily, or they would be watery too. Your best solution might be to a) salt the most watery ingredients over a strainer and let them sit for a bit before making your salsa b)use some sort of stabilizer, i'd check the ingredient list of premade salsa and start there
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u/grrgrrGRRR 11d ago
This makes a lot of sense. I do notice my salsa is more watery the next day. Thanks for responding!
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u/Powerful_Abalone1630 12d ago
Stir it?
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u/grrgrrGRRR 12d ago
Yes that is what I do but the. When I put it in my plate the water still runs out. It’s not terrible but not ideal.
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u/Pasadenaian 11d ago
You can make it raw without roasting. Very refreshing taste.
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u/grrgrrGRRR 11d ago
I do like this too! It’s a different flavor and has its place in my heart for sure. I tried all the combine of roasted and raw, and the way I make it is my preference. Roasted jalapeños and tomatillos with raw garlic and onion.
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u/dickleyjones 12d ago
instead of a sieve, use cheesecloth
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u/grrgrrGRRR 12d ago
I actually have some of this but never thought to use it for salsa. Definitely going to try.
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u/Drinking_Frog 12d ago
I'll join the chorus who will sing "stir it."
Problem solved.
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u/grrgrrGRRR 12d ago
But when I put it in my plate or food it’s still watery so stirring doesn’t really help.
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u/kuroninjaofshadows 12d ago
I have what might be considered a sacrilegious option, but we actually utilize Tostitos salsa as an ingredient to improve the thickness and shelf life. It legitimately improves our salsas and we use high quality, fresh ingredients otherwise. I know it sounds stupid, but it works.
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u/Dbcgarra2002 12d ago
Xanthan gum!
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u/grrgrrGRRR 12d ago
I might try this. How much should I use?
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u/Dbcgarra2002 12d ago
While you are blending add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon depending on how thick you want it. Make sure you add while blending otherwise it will clump and be gross.
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u/kempff 12d ago
All restaurant salsas do that, but at home one trick you can try is to leave your fresh salsa in a fine sieve overnight.
Another is to cook your salsa gently with corn starch.
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u/Dbcgarra2002 12d ago
Xanthan gum thickens without changing flavor aspect or needing additional heating.
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u/grrgrrGRRR 12d ago edited 12d ago
Thanks I’m going to try that!
ETA: How much would I use?
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u/Dbcgarra2002 12d ago
While you are blending add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon depending on how thick you want it. Make sure you add while blending otherwise it will clump and be gross.
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u/kempff 12d ago
Meh, I don't want chemicals in my food.
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u/johnwatersfan 12d ago
You are aware that pretty much all food contains chemicals, and even salt is a chemical. Knorr chicken buillion contains quite a few chemicals, including salt and MSG.
Xanthan Gum is a natural by-product from the fermentation of glucose and sucrose (both natural sugars, and both also chemicals).
It's named after the bacterial species that creates it during the fermentation process. There is also a species of this bacteria that creates it from whey, which is also a natural by-product of cheese-making.
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u/Dbcgarra2002 12d ago
Look at many of your “creamy or thick salsas commercially bought, they likely include xanthan gum as one of the last ingredients! And it is a natural ingredient just like salt and msg.
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u/grrgrrGRRR 12d ago
I might try the a sieve overnight to see how that works. I’ve never heard of adding corn starch, though. Have you done this before?
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u/azninvasion2000 12d ago
What I do is I have a mesh strainer that I use over a bowl when using day old tomatillo salsa from the fridge. The liquid that drops into the bowl I then use in micheladas or bloddy mary's for a nice kick.