How to Clean a Tomatillo

Tomatillos are an odd fruit that is a staple in Mexican cooking. The fruit comes inside a green husk, masking a sticky film that is surprising to most first-time toamtillo users. Follow these steps to prepare your fruit for the Mexican dish of your choice.

Instructions

1. Inspect the fruit once again for blemishes and ripeness that might have been overlooked while in the store. Discard any that are spotted, molded, yellow, or soft.

2. Open the husk. Push it up from to the top, taking the stem. You may have to take a knife and cut the stem off the top to remove it and the husk.

3. Rinse the fruit, rubbing gently to remove most of the sticky film. Don't worry if you don't get it all--it holds some of the essence and added flavor of the fruit.

4. Remove the seeds if the recipe call for it. Cut the tomatillo in half. Scoop out the seeded flesh only with a spoon. Try to leave as much of the flesh as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• The seeds of a tomatillo are very small. To save the flesh sacrificed with scooping out the seeds, you can keep them in the fruit, and strain later if needed. Chances are, in most Mexican recipes, the texture of the dish will mask the tomatillo seeds, straining is an unnecessary chore.

• Don't rub too hard when rinsing the film, you may damage the tomatillo, despite its firmness. It is fine to leave some on the tomatillo.