Tomatillos have always intrigued me. I say always, but really it has only been for the past 3 years, when I found out they existed. Maybe I remember hearing of tomatillo salsa, but I didn’t realize these are what it was made from. What an odd little fruit-vegetable-thing. The skin on these baffle me. I guess it’s like how an onion has skin, or a nut has a shell, but for some reason I just can’t get over their tissue-paper skin.

While at the market this weekend, after purchasing 20lbs of peaches, I saw a small basket of tomatillos and new immediately they had to be mine. Tomatillo peach salsa was all I could think about.

Have I ever had that combination before? No. How many times have I even made salsa? Maybe 5. Have I ever made tomatillo salsa? Nope.

At the same stand where I got the tomatillos, I also picked up a small red onion and a medium-spiced pepper. What else should be included?

garlic…salt…a little sugar…lime juice…

All things I had at home.

When you use peaches in salsa, make sure they’re slightly firm with just a little give. You don’t want them too soft, of you will end up with a bowl of peach juice, mixed with pepper + onion.

The lineup.

garlic + pepper + onion + peaches + tomatillos

You may be thinking fruit salsa isn’t your style. Honestly, I had no idea how it would turn out. Was it going to be too sweet? Would the red onion be too strong? Did I use too much garlic? Would debuting it to a party with 12 friends be a horrible idea?

I added + tasted + added + tasted. Then it sat in the fridge for an hour, to help the flavors intensify.

I braced myself upon the first scoop.

No overpowering onion. Not overly sweet. A nice tang, with a burst of juiciness and a small kick of heat.

Just what I was going for.

Tomatillo Peach Salsa

2c tomatillos, finely chopped
2c peaches, finely chopped
2/3c red onion, finely chopped
1T garlic, minced
1/2t salt
1T lime juice
1/2T lemon juice
1/4t pure cane sugar*
1 hot pepper, seeded + minced [opt]
pinch of cayenne pepper [opt]

Chop tomatillos + peaches and toss with lime + lemon juice.
Chop onion, garlic, + pepper, and combine with tomatillo mixture.
Add salt + sugar + cayenne [if using] to the mixture, giving a light mash [just a few times] with a fork, to bring out the juices.
Let sit covered in the fridge for 30min-2hrs, then taste with a tortilla chip and add more salt/sugar/cayenne if needed.
Keep covered + refrigerated for 2-3 days.

*If you’re curious how many peaches/tomatillos/garlic you’ll need: ~7 tomatillos, 2 1/2 med peaches, 2 cloves garlic

*You want to use ripe peaches, but not squishy.

*The sugar is a personal preference. You may not need any, but you may need a bit more than 1/4t. Make the salsa and let it sit, refrigerated for an hour. Then taste + if it’s too sour or salty, add 1/4t of sugar at a time. If your peaches are really sweet, you can probably skip it.