This Lengua en Salsa Verde recipe is perfect for a special occasion, like a family gathering or a dinner with friends. You can even cook it the day before, and the flavors will be even better! This is one of the dishes I had thought about preparing for that day back in February when my dear friend Sonia (from La Piña en la Cocina) came to visit me. It’s an easy meal that can be prepared ahead of time but is still really delicious.
Lengua en Salsa Verde
This is a paid partnership with Rumba Meats, all opinions are my own.
I’m so thankful that the folks at RUMBA Meats made that memorable day possible; everything happened so fast and it was gone too soon that I’m glad that they were able to capture everything on video. It was a day full of emotions, laughter, and even some tears. Meeting Sonia was like getting to see one of my cousins, and cooking together felt like being home with my mom and my brothers and sisters. Enjoying some time in the kitchen and sharing all those memories made me feel like a kid on Christmas morning!
I hope you enjoy this video, where you can see some of that beautiful day in my kitchen.
How to make Lengua en Salsa Verde Recipe
DIRECTIONS:
- Remove beef tongue from its vacuum-sealed package and rinse lightly. Place in a large stockpot and add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduces heat and gently simmers for about 2 hours. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Once the meat is cooked, let it cool and remove the outer skin. Next, slice with a sharp knife; the slices should be between ⅓ and ½ in. thick.
- While the meat is cooking, begin preparing the salsa by removing the husks from the tomatillos and then slightly rinsing them to remove that sticky residue that some of them have.
- Place the tomatillos in a saucepan with the peppers and garlic cloves and cover with water. Turn the heat to high. Once it starts boiling, reduces the heat to low and cook for about 14-15 minutes until they are cooked.
- Let the tomatillos and peppers cool after cooking and then place them in your blender.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet, pour the salsa in, and season with salt. Add the beef tongue slices and gently simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Right before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro.
Lengua en Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE MEAT:
- 2.5 lbs Beef Tongue from Rumba Meats
- ½ white onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 cups water
FOR THE SALSA:
- 20 oz. Tomatillos about 10 medium-size tomatillos
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 serrano peppers or 2 jalapeños*
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Remove beef tongue from its vacuum-sealed package and rinse lightly. Place in a large stock pot (you can use a pressure cooker or an instant pot) and add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover with the water and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduces heat and gently simmers for about 2 hours until the meat is tender.
- If using a pressure cooker, cook for 40 minutes; on an instant pot, it will take about 35 minutes. Every pot or pressure cooker is different, so the cooking time will vary. The meat will be ready when it is soft enough to eat but not too cooked that it becomes mushy.
- Once the meat is cooked, let it cool and remove the outer skin. Next, slice with a sharp knife; the slices should be between ⅓ and ½ in. thick.
- While the meat is cooking, begin preparing the salsa by removing the husks from the tomatillos and then slightly rinsing them to remove that sticky residue that some of them have.
- Place the tomatillos in a saucepan with the peppers and garlic cloves and cover with water. Turn the heat to high. Once it starts boiling, reduces the heat to low and cook for about 14-15 minutes until they are cooked.
- Let the tomatillos and peppers cool after cooking and then place them in your blender. Process until you have a smooth sauce. In case you feel the salsa is too dry, add a little bit of the cooking water.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet, pour the salsa in, and season with salt. Add the beef tongue slices and gently simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Right before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro.
Serve with some rice and warm corn tortillas.
Notes
Nutrition
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More recipes:
Chorizo in Salsa
Pickled Beef Tongue Recipe
Chicken with Rice Recipe
Juan P.
Buena receta!
Jennifer
how long would this take if i were to use a crock pot?!
Thank you.
Mely Martínez
Hello Jennifer,
Between 6-8 hours.