Your Guide To Tomatillos | The Gracious Pantry | Clean Eating Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you don't wash tomatillos? ›

Sticky Fingers: Once you peel off that outer layer, tomatillos are sticky with sap. While you don't need to wash that off until you plan to use your tomatillos -- it helps protect them while being stored in the refrigerator -- it should be washed off before you start cooking. Just a light scrub with water will do it.

You can eat tomatillos raw or cooked -- I prefer cooking them to tone down their distinctly sour flavor. The tomatillos you find at the supermarket are mostly imported from Mexico. You may be able find some at your local farmers' market from late July through September.

Cooking and Preparing Tomatillos

Once you peel off the husk, you'll find the surface of the fruit is a bit sticky. Just give them a rinse in a colander and that will disappear. After that, there are a few different ways that we love preparing tomatillos.

Yes, it is safe to eat raw tomatillos. Remember to remove the husk and rinse them thoroughly. They make a tangy addition to salads! While most Mexican recipes require cooking, roasting, or toasting tomatillos, a few call for raw tomatillos.

Fridge: The best way to store ripe tomatillos is to keep them in a paper bag and store them in your fridge's crisper drawer. The paper bag will help retain moisture. Do not remove their husks. They will keep fresh for up to three weeks.

If you notice a tomatillo is very soft, it is likely overripe. Fresh, ripe tomatillos are firm to the touch, rather than squishy. A bad smell, mold, or a sticky residue are also signs that a tomatillo has already started to decompose and is no longer safe to eat.

Conversely, tomatoes and peppers have won the respect of dietitians because of their potent antioxidants. Similarly, tomatillos have been found to contain anti-inflammatory compounds similar to those found in aspirin.

While tomatillo is high in vitamin C, niacin, potassium, and manganese, tomatoes are a great source of Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, Potassium, and manganese. Both, are nutritious though, so feel free to add them to your diet unless otherwise indicated by your doctor.

Roasted tomatillos might taste better eaten plain beside a boiled one, but they do not make better Salsa Verde. So says the Chef. Tomatillo Salsa can be made in huge batches and then canned, or made in small batches to enjoy over the course of a week.

Let them ripen and turn into red, yellow, or purple before you use them. Tomatillos taste sour with a bit of bitterness. To cut through the bitterness put them with something that's sweet, for example mangoes, honey or sugar. Lime juice, or vinegar (red or white) cuts through the sourness.

How to tell if a tomatillo is ripe? ›

Tomatillos will be ready to harvest 75 to 100 days after transplanting. The fruit is ready to harvest when it completely fills the husk and easily falls off the plant when picked. Additionally, the husk will dry out and turn from a green color to a tan color and will begin to split open.

Tomatillos often get a bad rap. Contrary to popular belief, they are generally safe for dogs. The solanine content, a concern with many nightshades, is present but typically in low levels. Cooking tomatillos can further reduce any risk, making them a safer snack for your four-legged friend.

Both dill and fennel should be avoided when planting tomatillos. These lovely umbel-family herbs are delicious in the kitchen and beautiful in the garden, however they secrete substances into the soil that can harm other plants.

Like tomatoes, the tomatillo plant is part of the nightshade family but is more closely related to ground cherries (cape gooseberries) and the Chinese lantern plant. Derived from the Nahuatl word “tomatl,” the word “tomatillo” translates to “l*ttle tomato” in Spanish.

People should thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating them. Produce that the manufacturer has prewashed does not require further rinsing, however. There are two main risks of eating unwashed fruits and vegetables: bacterial contamination and pesticides.

Be warned, though, that the husk, leaves, and stem of the tomatillo are toxic. Some also believe the unripe fruit is toxic, too, according to Taste of Home, and although this is somewhat controversial, it's best to steer clear of all but mature fruit.

You'll notice that the tomatillos themselves are sticky underneath the husk. That sticky stuff contains some chemicals called withanolides, which, along with the husk, help ward off insects.