How Michael Symon Cooks With Tomatoes All Year Round

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

When it comes to utilizing one of the world's most popular ingredients, take a cue from chef Michael Symon and embrace the goodness of preserved flavor. The James Beard Award-winner and Iron Chef swears by canned goods, especially when fresh tomatoes are out of season.

"You should always be stocked with a really high-quality canned tomato product that you could trust, because you can do so many different things with it," he told Food Republic. "High quality" is the magic phrase because when it comes to canned tomato brands, they are not all created equal. Many chefs swear by Italian imported San Marzanos, which are prized for their naturally sweet flavor, low acidity, and meaty texture. But any brand that prioritizes simple ingredients — tomatoes, tomato juice, maybe a touch of salt — is worth keeping on hand.

Symon is a fan of using these good-quality tomatoes in unusual ways, such as poaching fish. He says that the acidity in the tomatoes helps the fish "set up" so that it's firm — while remaining flaky, tender, and bursting with bright and tangy tomato flavor. He says, "Say you sautéed some onions and garlic, and then you deglaze the pan with a little bit of white wine, and then a fish stock, a vegetable stock, a chicken stock, and then fortified that with the crushed tomatoes, especially the fire roasted ones. Then, you bring that up to a simmer, and once it's simmering, you could gently throw the fish in and let it poach in there."

With ragù alla Bolognese, meat, not tomato, is the star of the show. Pancetta and ground beef, studded with pieces of carrot, celery, and onion, create an intense foundation for a mouthwatering sauce that's bolstered with white wine, then finished with tomato and milk. Chef Symon keeps it specific — there's only one type of canned tomato to use here — and that's paste, and a tube is okay, too.

"For a bolognese, where it's predominantly meat accented by tomato, I'll use a paste," says Symon. "Where it's a hearty tomato sauce with meatballs and sausage and braised short ribs and all those kinds of things in there, then I'll use crushed tomatoes, but not paste." 

For recipes where texture matters, diced canned tomatoes are the way to go. This canned variety often contains calcium chloride to keep the pieces firm and chunky. According to chef Symon, the fire-roasted Contadina diced tomatoes are perfect for making a tomato chutney to serve with pork chops cooked by braising them in a tomato sauce. He says, "That is delicious — with that tomato, chutney, relish, sweet, sour, and spicy kind of situation." The chef adds, "You could take it in a lot of ways other than a pasta sauce, which is the beauty of it."

Another delicious idea that isn't pasta adjacent: Never forget that canned tomatoes are everything in crockpot butter chicken  — ladle it generously over aromatic basmati rice and call it a day. A really good day.

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and Food Republic.