Buzz
While some say vegetable skins are good for you, not all of them enjoy the same love. Take potato skins, for instance. They add a delightful crunch and texture, earning them quite the fan base. Tomato skins, however, don't get as much appreciation.
A little skin on a raw tomato is perfectly fine, and even roasted tomato skins can be acceptable. But when making soups or sauces, I much prefer to avoid those tough, chewy skins. Peeling tomatoes traditionally involves blanching, which can be both time-consuming and messy. That is, until I discovered an easier alternative: using a grater to remove the skin effortlessly. And to my surprise, it actually worked.
Though grating tomatoes has been a known technique for quite some time, I had never given it a try until recently, when I came across a post from chef Sara Moulton on Instagram. With late summer tomatoes abundant in my kitchen, it seemed like the perfect moment to test out this hack. I sliced a ripe tomato in half, grated it using the large holes of my grater, and after just one tomato, I was sold. I think I'm officially entering my grated tomato phase.
With this technique, the flavorful gel, seeds, and pulp slide through the grater into the bowl, while the skin remains behind. At first, depending on the tomato type, you may face some resistance, and you might even feel the grater cutting through the skin. Don’t worry—you just need to get the process started. I had the best results when I gently twisted the tomato half while pressing. The liquid and seed gel will pass through first, and then you can use the skin as leverage to push the remaining pulp through until only the skin of half a tomato is left on top of the grater.
In the end, my tomato was both peeled and chopped, with no risk of cutting my fingers on a sharp knife.
When to use grated tomatoes
This tomato skinning technique is perfect for making pan con tomate, or tomato toast, a beloved Spanish snack. It’s a quick and tasty treat (recipe below) that truly brings out the flavor of ripe, juicy tomatoes. In short, it’s the perfect dish for right now.
Beyond summer, this method works wonders for peeling a pile of tomatoes for fresh or cooked tomato sauce. As the weather gets chillier, it’s great for tomato soup or even tomato risotto. In essence, it's ideal for any dish where the tomatoes will break down into a sauce, and you’d prefer not to deal with pesky bits of skin.
Simple Pan Con Tomate Recipe
Ingredients:
2 ripe Campari tomatoes
2 slices of hearty bread
1 garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
A pinch of flaky salt
1. Peel the tomatoes by cutting them in half and pressing the pulp through a grater into a bowl. Discard the skin.
2. Toast the bread and, if you prefer, use the flame from your gas stove to lightly char the edges. Rub the garlic clove across the top of the toasted bread; it won’t leave bits behind, but the oils and fragrance will remain.
3. Drizzle or brush some olive oil over the bread. Scoop the tomato seeds and pulp onto the slices of bread, then top with more olive oil and a pinch of flaky salt.
