Tomatillos: What They Are, How to Buy Them, How to Cook With Them

Tomatillos: Not Just for Salsa Verde

Tomatillo season is here, and as the fruit shows up on more and more grocery shelves, it has been causing confusion for those not familiar with it. Though traditionally associated with Mexican and Southwestern cuisine, this beautiful, tart fruit adds a delicious tangy flavor to a wide array of dishes.

Read on to learn more about how to use tomatillos, what their health benefits are, the proper way to store them, and how to cook with them.

Tomatillo Information

Though tomatillo is Spanish for “little tomato”, these fruits are not actually tomatoes. Though they are berries, like the familiar fruits used to make ketchup and marinara sauce, tomatillos are actually much more closely related to the cape gooseberry than to the tomato.

Tomatillos are very nutritious fruits. Like all fruits, they contain vitamin C. They also contain vitamin K (which helps with blood clotting), lycopene (which promotes eye health), potassium (which regulates muscle function), flavonoids (powerful cancer-fighters), and folate (which can help prevent birth defects) (Notecook).

Buying and Storing Tomatillos

Tomatillos look like green tomatoes covered with a thick paper. When buying tomatillos, look for fruits between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball. Paper should be taut and free from any black or gray powder (which indicates mold). Like all fruits, tomatillos should also look generally good and feel heavy for their size.

To store tomatillos, leave the paper on and place them in a paper bag. They will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 weeks. To freeze, remove papery husks, rinse to remove a sticky residue left by the paper, and pat dry, then simply place in a zip-lock bag and place in the freezer. (GormetSluth).

Cooking with Tomatillos

The first step in preparing tomatillos is to remove the papery husks and rinse off a sticky residue left by the paper (the same as for freezing). Though tomatillos can be eaten raw, most people find them a bit too tart for that.

They can be chopped fine and used in omelettes, briefly sautéed and tossed with pasta, or cooked into a sauce. Using tomatillos in sauce is the most traditional cooking method.

Easy Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh tomatillos (about 8), husked and washed
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 small onion, chopped coarse
• 1 medium anaheim chili, seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 1 medium garlic clove, pressed through a garlic press
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime

Instructions:

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan or stockpot, and fill a medium bowl with ice water.

Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the tomatillos into the boiling water and cook until the color of the tomatillos is slightly less intense and they are tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the tomatillos from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water, and let cool, about 5 minutes.

Drain the tomatillos and transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt and process until roughly chopped, about 7 pulses.

Taste, then add more salt to taste, and serve with tortilla chips or over enchiladas. The salsa can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

References

GormetSluth Staff. (n.d.) Tomatillos. GormetSluth: The Gormet Food and Cooking Resource. Retrieved 7 June, 2007 from https://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Produce-638/tomatillos.aspx

Kimball, C. (e.d). (2007). Tomatillo Salsa. In The Best International Recipe. Boston: America’s Test Kitchen.

Notecook Staff. Tomatillos: Full of Nutrients. Notecook.com. Retrieved 5 June 2010 from https://notecook.com/side-dishes/sauces-and-gravy/tomatillos-full-of-nutrients/