Tomatillo salsa and the acid balance problem

Tomatillo is one of the most acidic common salsa ingredients — more acidic than most tomatoes, more than lime. This is both its strength and its challenge. Unmanaged, tomatillo salsa can taste harsh and one-dimensional. Three ways to manage it: charring the tomatillos before blending (the heat converts some of the malic acid and softens the flavor profile), adding avocado in the blending step (the fat coats the acid compounds), or adding a half teaspoon of sugar which rounds the edge without making the salsa sweet. Salt timing also matters: salt before blending pulls more water from the tomatillo which reduces the acid concentration.