Native to Mexico, tomatillos (also known as Mexican husk tomatoes) can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of dishes, most commonly in salsa verde. Tomatillos were cultivated in Mexico prior to the arrival of the Europeans and were a stable food in Mayan & Aztec diets. To this day tomatillos are a central part of many Mexican dishes.
Tomatillos are packed with nutritional value. They are a great source of dietary fiber, niacin, potassium, and manganese. They contain 20 percent of the daily recommended value in vitamin C, 13% of the vitamin K, and a healthy amount of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper.
Storage:
Tomatillos are best used fresh and green. Raw tomatillos have a zesty, tart flavor that develops an herbal lemon flavor when cooked. Store tomatillos in their husks for about two weeks in a paper bag in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator (55° to 60°F). Tomatillos will suffer chilling injury if stored below 41°F.
Do not store tomatillos with apples or bananas. These fruits emit a natural gas called ethylene, which will cause tomatillos to darken in storage.
Tomatillos can be and frozen for later use. To freeze: remove the husk, wash the fruit, and freeze them whole in a freezer container or bag. Double bagging will prevent freezer burn.
If you don't have time for the chicken recipe on the back that features tomatillos, here's a really quick and easy way to use them in a homemade salsa verde:
1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
1 to 2 medium jalapeños, stemmed
½ cup chopped white onion
¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons to ¼ cup lime juice
½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
Optional variation: 1 to 2 diced avocados, for creamy avocado salsa verde
1) Preheat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches below the heat source. Place the tomatillos and jalapeño on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until they’re blackened in spots, about 5 minutes.
2) Remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip over the tomatillos and peppers with tongs and broil for 4 to 6 more minutes, until the tomatillos are splotchy& blistered.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Once the tomatillos are out of the oven, carefully transfer the hot tomatillos, pepper and all of their juices into the food processor or blender.
Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth and no big chunks of tomatillo remain. Season to taste with additional lime juice and salt, if desired.
The salsa will be thinner at first, but will thicken up after a few hours in the refrigerator, due to the naturally occurring pectin in the tomatillos. If you’d like to make creamy avocado salsa verde, let the salsa cool down before blending in 1 to 2 diced avocados.
Click here to download a PDF of this week's Newsletter!
Tomatillos are packed with nutritional value. They are a great source of dietary fiber, niacin, potassium, and manganese. They contain 20 percent of the daily recommended value in vitamin C, 13% of the vitamin K, and a healthy amount of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and copper.
Storage:
Tomatillos are best used fresh and green. Raw tomatillos have a zesty, tart flavor that develops an herbal lemon flavor when cooked. Store tomatillos in their husks for about two weeks in a paper bag in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator (55° to 60°F). Tomatillos will suffer chilling injury if stored below 41°F.
Do not store tomatillos with apples or bananas. These fruits emit a natural gas called ethylene, which will cause tomatillos to darken in storage.
Tomatillos can be and frozen for later use. To freeze: remove the husk, wash the fruit, and freeze them whole in a freezer container or bag. Double bagging will prevent freezer burn.
If you don't have time for the chicken recipe on the back that features tomatillos, here's a really quick and easy way to use them in a homemade salsa verde:
1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
1 to 2 medium jalapeños, stemmed
½ cup chopped white onion
¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons to ¼ cup lime juice
½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
Optional variation: 1 to 2 diced avocados, for creamy avocado salsa verde
1) Preheat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches below the heat source. Place the tomatillos and jalapeño on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until they’re blackened in spots, about 5 minutes.
2) Remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip over the tomatillos and peppers with tongs and broil for 4 to 6 more minutes, until the tomatillos are splotchy& blistered.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Once the tomatillos are out of the oven, carefully transfer the hot tomatillos, pepper and all of their juices into the food processor or blender.
Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth and no big chunks of tomatillo remain. Season to taste with additional lime juice and salt, if desired.
The salsa will be thinner at first, but will thicken up after a few hours in the refrigerator, due to the naturally occurring pectin in the tomatillos. If you’d like to make creamy avocado salsa verde, let the salsa cool down before blending in 1 to 2 diced avocados.
Click here to download a PDF of this week's Newsletter!