I spotted a pile of beautiful tomatillos at my local farmers market last week, and decided to give them a try. I remembered running across a recipe for tomatillo jam a while back and saved it, with the thought that someday I would make it. This is what happens with a lot of my recipes and best intentions. They get filed away, and when I’m at the store or farmers market, I see an ingredient that jogs my memory, I go home and spend a ridiculous amount of time searching for the filed away recipe. Not the greatest system. Luckily, I found this particular recipe with not a huge amount of effort. And so my first experience with tomatillos commenced. 

The tomatillo jam is sweet and savory and has a nice vinegary zing. It pairs nicely on crackers or baguette with spreadable goat or cream cheese. It’s a perfect summer appetizer that showcases tomatillos in the height of the season.

My kitchen notes

This recipe makes about 16 ounces of jam. It keeps well in the refrigerator, or can be frozen.

Tomatillo Jam – adapted from Tasting Table 

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine 1½ teaspoons of the sugar with the pectin. Set aside.

2. Peel away the tomatillos’ skins and discard. Cut the tomatillos into halves and set aside.

3. In a blender, combine the tomatillos, green peppers, jalapeño, cider vinegar, coriander and the remaining ½ cup of sugar.

4. Purée on high speed until smooth. Reserve ¼ cup of the purée and transfer the rest to a medium saucepan.

5. Cook the purée over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil, whisking often, until a thick compote, about 12 minutes. Whisk in the pectin-sugar mixture and continue to boil until it reaches a consistency of a loose jam, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the reserved ¼ cup of tomatillo purée, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and a dash of kosher salt.

6. Cover and chill until ready to use.