Nuts

Skin

Walnut skin, or pellicle, is the thin brown seed coat on the kernel after shelling. It holds tannin, colour, and much of the astringent edge that makes fresh walnuts taste bittersweet rather than simply sweet. Against the pale interior it adds bitterness that can help rustic baking and savoury sauces or hinder pale confectionery. Blanching or roast-and-rub methods remove skins when a cleaner look and milder bite are required. Leaving skins on increases flecks in meals and cookies and deepens flavour in muhammara- style sauces. For fine light pastes, skin specks dull colour. Do not confuse seed skins with hard outer shells—the tools and risks differ completely. Removed skins are usually discarded or composted at home. Skin-on or skin-off, the allergen picture remains major tree nut. Good skins are dry and thin; mouldy or sticky coats condemn the kernel with them.