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This guide on how to seed and peel tomatoes is going to be a game-changer for your recipes. Once you realize how easy it is to use fresh tomatoes in your sauces, you’ll never buy a can of tomato sauce again. If you’ve ever tried a sauce that uses fresh tomatoes compared to canned, there is denying the difference in flavor.
Seeding and peeling tomatoes are incredibly easy. The very first step is to choose the right tomatoes. I prefer large vine-ripened tomatoes. When I purchase them at the grocery store, I look for tomatoes that still have the vine attached. I then set them on my counter to let them ripen even more until they turn a bright red color. Letting your tomatoes ripen will produce more tomato juice and a better flavor for your sauces.
Instructions for How to seed and peel tomatoes easily
First, once your tomatoes are ripe and ready to use, you’re going to take off the stem and turn them over. You’ll then use a small pairing knife and slice an X on your tomatoes.
Next, you’ll drop your tomatoes in boiling water for only about 1 minute. Once you see the skin begin to peel back you’ll know they’re ready to be removed.
Once you remove your tomatoes, the skin will peel off easily with very little effort.
Once you remove your tomatoes, the skin will effortlessly peel off. Then place a steel strainer over a bowl or large measuring cup and cut the tomato into segments. While holding the tomato over the strainer, you can remove all the seeds and core using your hands.
I like to give the seeds a good squeeze to remove as much juice as possible. Once all the seeds are removed, I use a plastic spoon and push the seeds into the strainer to try and remove even more juice.
How to make a chunky or smooth fresh tomato sauce
If you like your sauce chunkier, you can chop up your tomatoes and add them to the liquid you strained. They will cook down nicely creating a chunky sauce. If you prefer your sauce less chunky, you can add the tomatoes with your onions and garlic, cook them down for a few minutes, and then puree them in a blender.
This is the base for many sauces including my chicken tikka masala recipe. You can use this guide on how to seed and peel tomatoes for any recipe that has a tomato sauce base including tomato sauce, tomato soups, and many Indian dishes such as my lamb curry. Using fresh tomatoes adds such a wonderful flavor that I very rarely, if ever, use canned tomatoes anymore in my cooking.
How to Peel and Seed Tomatoes for Tomato Sauce
EQUIPMENT
- metal mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 6 whole tomatoes peeled & seeded
- ¼ cup onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp oregano fresh & chopped
- 1 tbsp basil fresh
- ½ tsp salt pink himalayan
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- slice an X into the bottom of your tomatoes & place your tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute.
- remove tomatoes from water and the skin should effortlessly peel off.
- cut the tomato into sections and remove seeds using a metal strainer over a bowl or large measuring cup. Then saute your tomatoes with onions and garlic until the tomatoes become sauce. Add your tomato paste and taste to season. If you want a smooth sauce, just add them to a blender after sauteing.