For a long time, I steered clear of tomatillos—not because of an aversion, but I simply didn’t know what do with them. Well, I am here to tell you that these little tomato-esque “vegetables” are easy to use and a delight to eat. Their flavor is tart and vegetal with a hint of fruit, and they add pucker-y brightness to salsas and stews.
Tomatillos are in fact classified as a fruit (like tomatoes) and are a member of the nightshade family. They are wrapped in a papery husk, which, when removed, reveals a crab apple-sized green fruit that resembles a tomato. Tomatillos are native to Central America, which helps to explain why they are a prominent ingredient in salsas. If you’ve had a green salsa or salsa verde, then you’ve had a tomatillo.
