Until I started fermenting my own, salsa has never really been a favourite condiment. And when I DO buy salsa (because my husband is an absolute star at making tacos), I always go for the green over the red. Salsa Verdé isn't just 'salsa that's green'. It is its very own thing. It's spicy, earthy and a bit lighter than the red. It's simple, fresh and delicate but absolutely holds its own when added to the right dish.
Don't get me wrong! I love love LOVE a good fermented red salsa. Love it. So much. Can't get enough. But green holds a special place in my heart, so I really wanted to try my hand at a good old, probiotic-packed home - fermented version. And this one is pretty darn good!
It's important to remember that vegetable fermentation is very versatile. If there's a particular flavour you like, add more of it! If you want to go with a different vegetable (red tomatoes over green), go for it! As long as you've made a brine and covered your veggies with it, you can't go too far astray. At worst, you won't love the finished product, and in that case, just give it another go.
Here are my flavours. I'll, of course, start with tomatillos. About 10 of them. Red onions, cilantro, ginger, garlic and jalapeno peppers.
Now, real quick, let's discuss the nutritional benefits of this salsa.
- Garlic & onions are excellent for heart and immune health. Both contain allium sulphur compounds which are known for their ability to improve the cholesterol profile. They're also both excellent natural antibiotics. A good choice for the prevention and treatment of colds & flu.
- Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. When consumed regularly, these little guys help to relieve arthritic & muscle pain and swelling. Ginger is also excellent for digestive heath & nausea as well as immune health.
- Jalapeno peppers are SO good for you. They improve immune health, cardiovascular health and even help to ease the occurrence of stomach ulcers!
- Tomatillos are a great source of antioxidants and contain important minerals like potassium and, of course, fibre.
- Cilantro is a wonderful herb, aiding specifically in heavy metal detoxification, cardiovascular health and immune health. It contains high amounts of antioxidants as well as important vitamins & minerals that directly act on these systems.
When all of these wonderful foods are chopped up and fermented, their nutritional values increase significantly and those important nutrients become more bio-available.
For the brine, I've got 1L of spring water and sea salt. The first time I made this, I used a 3% brine, which is roughly 2 TBSP of salt to 1L of water. This was a bit too salty for my taste, so I recommend reducing it to a 2% or 2.5% solution. That would be 1 - 1.5 TBSP of salt to 1L of water - roughly. These are not exact measurements (because i'm just not that organized) so if you like precision, get yourself a scale and go with either 20g (2%) or 26g (2.5%) of salt to 1L of water.
Salt is an important component of fermentation. It helps to slow things down a bit, as some microorganisms are more halophobic than others (can't thrive in a salty environment). This ultimately helps to maintain a crispy texture and combats spoilage, picking and choosing which bacteria can grow and which will be inhibited.
When it comes to vegetable fermentation, it's absolutely OK to experiment a bit. You don't have to follow a brine percentage. You can salt to taste and simply adjust your fermentation time accordingly (less salt = less time).
Play around. You'll get the hang of it.
Stir well and set aside. I like to mix my brine before I prep my veggies to allow the salt some time to dissolve.
Tomatillos come with this charming little husk. It's papery and lacy, yet tough. A good little shield for these gems while they grow. They are totally inedible, however, so they must be removed.
Remove the husks and give the tomatillos a rinse. They might feel a bit sticky.
Roughly dice and throw them into a large mixing bowl.
Roughly dice your red onions, reserving and setting aside the outer layers. They are going to act as the lid for our ferment, or primary follower, in proper fermentation lingo. The job of the primary follower is to keep the contents of the jar under the brine.
Like so.
Now, the primary follower must also remain under the brine, which is why it's best to use slightly oversized onion pieces and really shove them in. A secondary follower would be a weight of some sort, like an actual pickle weight, a rock (wrapped in a baggie), a baggie filled with water, a smaller jar filled with water...honestly, the possibilities are endless. Its job is to make sure EVERYTHING stays under the brine.
I, however rarely ever use weights. In cases like this, I find that the onions to a good enough job. With smaller ferments (1L jars), you must check them almost every day to release gasses; and so when doing this, I will just push everything down with my hands and flip the jar upside down a couple of times, getting everything back where it needs to be. I haven't had any problems so far (knock on wood!). So you can decide what you're comfortable with. Fermentation is beautifully simple. Remember that.
Now, back to our salsa! Roughly chop the jalapeno, peel the garlic and shred or roughly dice the ginger and toss it all into the bowl. Remember to leave the veggies somewhat large to ensure a good rate of fermentation. If diced too small, it may ferment too quickly. I like a longer, steady ferment to allow the flavours to develop and a for a good, wide variety of bacteria to grow and do their thing.
And finally, add the cilantro. Don't bother chopping it. Just wash it and toss it in!
With your hands, toss everything together in the mixing bowl and fill up two 1L mason jars.
And don't forget your onion lids!
Give the brine one more stir and fill the jars until the those little lids are covered.
Attach the jar lids and ferment for 1 - 2 (or even 3!) weeks. Remember to burp daily to release CO2 build - up and ensure that everything remains submerged.
And in a couple of weeks, when the colours have darkened and the ferment has settled down, it will be ready!
p.s The ferment will settle down. In the first week or so, it will be quite active. It will bubble and fizz up when you open it and it might even leak a bit, making a little brine puddle on your counter top. This is because the first batch of bacteria, which initiates the fermentation process (Leuconostoc mesenteroides), is starting to grow and proliferate, releasing carbon dioxide as their by-product. This reduces the PH, creating a more acidic environment, which then allows for another type of bacteria to develop and grow - Lactobacillus Planterum. L. Planterum is an acid-loving bacterium and doesn't produce quite as much CO2 and will therefore cause your ferment to settle down quite a lot. From there, other strains grow and proliferate, changing the PH and allowing for even more strains to grow. When your ferment is done, it will contain a beautiful variety of bacteria, all bringing along wonderful characteristics that benefit both the finished product and your health!
At this stage, the salsa smells amazing. The cilantro and jalapeno peppers really come through, along with the sweet, sharp aroma of the red onions.
The first thing you must do is strain the solids from the liquid. The liquid, in this case, is culinary gold. A deeply flavoured, spicy, aromatic brine. DO NOT THROW THIS AWAY. Strain both jars and place the brine in a 1L mason jar. It can be kept in the fridge for many months. Use it to flavour soups, dressings, stews, chilli, summer cocktails or as a marinade for meat. It's also great as a daily probiotic tonic. Just have a shot or two per day.
Put your salsa in a food processor and pulse to your desired texture.
Perfect!
Place your salsa into a 1L jar and add back just a pinch of the brine, which will contribute to the flavour (it will continue to deepen as it rests in the fridge) and will decrease the likelihood of spoilage. It should, ever so slightly, cover the salsa (1/4 cup is probably all that's needed for this job).
These guys will keep in your fridge for a good long time. I will say three months to be safe, but to be honest, they'll keep for a year or more, although you will have eaten it all by then.
Fermented Salsa Verde
- 1L of spring water
- 1 TBSP - 1.5 TBSP sea salt
- 10 - 12 tomatillos, peeled, rinsed and chopped
- 2 red onions, peeled and chopped (outer layers reserved)
- 2-4 jalapeno peppers, chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
- 2 - 4 inches of ginger, peeled and shredded or chopped
- 1 bulb garlic, peeled (go ahead and leave the cloves whole)
- A very large bunch of cilantro (if you love it, use more!)
- Combine spring water and salt to make brine, set aside
- Combine all veggies & cilantro in a large mixing bowl
- Fill two 1L mason jars
- Attach onion lids
- Fill the jars with brine, covering the onion lids
- Attach jar lids
- Ferment on the counter or in a cupboard for 1 - 3 weeks (up to you!)
- When ready, strain the liquid (liquid from both jars should fit into a 1L jar)
- Quickly pulse the vegetables in a food processor to your desired texture & place in a clean 1L mason jar
- Add back about 1/4 cup of brine
- Refrigerate until you are ready to dig in!
Enjoy!
