This dip is inspired by salsa de aguacate and Venezuelan guasacaca, two condiments that feature avocado blended until smooth rather than coarsely mashed as in guacamole. By roasting the onion, spicy jalapeño, smoky poblano, and vegetal tomatillo, you concentrate their flavors. After letting everything cool, blitzing them with avocado (plus garlic, lime, and cilantro) creates a velvety texture that’s just begging to be scooped up with a crunchy chip. Plantain chips (or super crunchy store-bought tostones) are great here for their heft and mellow flavor, but tortilla chips work just as well, as do homemade tostones.
A note on heat: There’s a lot of room to customize the spice level in this dip. Two jalapeños with their ribs and seeds will yield a gentle buzz of heat. If you’re sensitive to spice, remove the ribs and seeds before roasting. If you like things hot, swap in serrano chiles for one or both of the jalapeños.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$32 At Amazon
.jpg)
Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
1
2
1
8
2
2
2
1
⅓
6
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°. Place 1 large onion, quartered, 2 jalapeños, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed if desired, 1 poblano chile, halved lengthwise, ribs and seeds removed, and 8 oz. tomatillos (about 5 medium), husks removed, rinsed, halved, quartered if large, on a large rimmed baking sheet; drizzle with 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and season with 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Toss to coat and arrange in an even layer. Roast until tomatillos burst and are jammy and onion and chiles are tender and blistered in spots, 17–22 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Transfer vegetables to a food processor. Add 2 medium ripe avocados, coarsely chopped, 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped, ⅓ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, and 6 Tbsp. fresh lime juice and process until smooth. Taste salsa and season with more salt if needed.
Step 3
Transfer salsa to a small bowl and serve with plantain chips for dipping.
How would you rate Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa?
Leave a Review
Reviews (13)
Back to TopCouldn’t find tomatillos, so used 5 Roma tomatoes in the roast, and Su. Ed an Anaheim chile for the poblano. Also only used 2 limes’ worth of juice. Came out really nicely and served the salsa with mushroom quesadillas
A cook from Buffalo
Buffalo, NY
12/3/2023
This was delightful, and delightfully easy. The recipe in general seems very easy to tweak (if you want more smokiness, maybe roast veg longer; more creamy, add more avocado; less cilantro-y, add a bit more of the other ingredients etc). I didn’t add all 6 tbsp of lime juice as I didn’t want it too tart or liquidy. Came out great for me.
Kelly DM
Athens, GA
4/9/2023
Not great. Very thick and not as flavorful as I was hoping for. The avocado really overpowers the flavor of the rest of the ingredients. It may be better if you use less avocado.
Anonymous
Chicago, IL
10/18/2022