Tomato skins are one of those things you normally peel off and immediately forget about. But before you get to your sauce, hear me out: what if you pickled them? These Sweet Pickled Tomato Skins are salty, slightly sweet, tomatoey, and packed with basil flavor. They kind of taste like a hot honey pizza in one bite, which is about as good as it sounds.
This is a quick-pickle recipe, so we’re not talking about fermentation or preservation here. Think of this as a flavoring technique: the skins get a quick soak in a sweet, salty, tangy brine and hang out in the fridge for a couple of hours before they’re ready to eat. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, and there are so many ways to use them.
I love eating them whole, but if you’re worried about the skins being tough, just give them a rough chop. Add them to eggs or pasta salad, pile them onto a sandwich, spoon them over fish, or stir them into a dip. Basically, anywhere you want a little sweet, salty, tangy pop of flavor, these guys can go.
Table of contents
What does it mean to quick pickle something?
A quick pickle is meant for flavor, whereas a standard pickling method is a means of preservation. The beautiful thing about a quick pickle is that they are usually ready within a few hours or by the end of the day, A standard pickling process can take days or even weeks.
While pickling is already a pretty low-risk way to preserve food, quick pickling is even simpler. So my impatient, pickle-loving heart usually goes the quick pickle route. Just know that anything quickly pickled must be stored in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Ingredients you’ll need
- 2-3 cups tomato skins
- 5-6 large basil leaves
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
How to shock your tomatoes to remove the skins
This is typically done when people are jarring tomatoes or making tomato sauce, and it works with any variety. Here’s how to do it:
- Cut a small cross on the bottom of your tomato, only going about 1/4 inch deep.
- Set a large pot of water to boil and prepare a large ice bath next to it.
- Add the tomatoes in batches to the boiling water, boil for 2 minutes, or until you see the skin release. Use a spider to move them to the ice bath.
- In the ice bath, gently peel off the skins with your hands. Leave the skins in the ice bath and move the tomatoes into a storage container, or continue with your sauce or jarring process!
How to pickle tomato skins
Lightly pat your tomato skins dry and transfer them to a large jar. Add 5-6 basil leaves.
Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of white balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to a small pot. Bring this to a gentle simmer and stir so the salt and sugar are dissolved. Turn off the heat and stir until the mixture is no longer simmering.
Carefully pour this into the jar over the skins, pushing down the skins so they are fully submerged. Let this cool at room temperature for 45 minutes. Then put on the lid of the jar and store in the fridge.
These will be ready to eat in about 12 hours, but are good for up to two weeks.
Need ideas for how to use these?
- Chop and mix them into jammy eggs for a bright, pickly egg salad
- Chop and stir them into pasta salads – they’re a game changer
- Layer them onto sandwiches, especially a caprese or anything pesto-based
- Use them to top steamed or baked fish
- Stir them into hummus or labneh for a bright, acidic dip
- Use them in place of tomatoes in romesco
- Stir them into rice to give your side dish an extra pop of flavor
Storage tips
This recipe is best stored in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 weeks, so you can just grab and use it whenever you want! Try to use a glass container, as they store and keep the pickled tomato skins the best.
Looking for more pickling recipes?
Pickled Red Onions
Pickled Strawberry Tops
Pickled Rhubarb on Honeyed Yogurt
And that’s it for these Pickled Tomato Skins!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
You can also shop this video if you’re looking for the exact pieces I use – I’ve linked everything on my ShopMy! *some links may contain affiliate commissions
And of course, feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
- 1 small pot
- 1 16 ounce mason jar
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups tomato skins, see how to shock your tomatoes in the Note
- 5-6 large basil leaves
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
InstructionsÂ
- Lightly pat 2-3 cups of tomato skins dry and transfer them to a large jar. Add 5-6 basil leaves.
- Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of white balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of sugar to a small pot. Bring this to a gentle simmer and stir so the salt and sugar dissolve. Turn off the heat and stir until the mixture is no longer simmering.
- Carefully pour this into the jar over the skins, pushing them down so they are fully submerged. Let this cool at room temperature for 45 minutes. Then put on the lid of the jar and store in the fridge.
- These will be ready to eat in 2 hours, but at their peak flavor around 12 hours. They will be good for up to two weeks!
Notes
- Cut a small cross on the bottom of your tomato, only going about 1/4 inch deep.
- Set a large pot of water to boil and prepare a large ice bath next to it.
- Add the tomatoes in batches to the boiling water, boil for 2 minutes, or until when you see the skin release. Use a spider to move them to the ice bath.
- In the ice bath, gently peel off the skins with your hands. Leave the skins in the ice bath and move the tomatoes into a storage container, or continue with your sauce or jarring process!
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