pumpkin seeds
The flat, green seeds of the pumpkin (also called pepitas when hulled); eaten roasted as a snack or used as a crunchy garnish.
Substitutions
- sunflower seeds
Tips & common mistakes
Hulled pumpkin seeds can pop and jump out of a dry skillet as they toast, the way popcorn does, so use a lid cracked open or a splatter screen rather than walking away. They also don't visibly brown as obviously as nuts do, so it's easy to underestimate how done they are -- a light golden color and the popping settling down are better cues than color alone.
Storage
Hulled green pepitas, without their tough white outer hull, are more exposed to air than whole in-shell roasted pumpkin seeds and go rancid measurably faster -- refrigerate or freeze hulled seeds if they won't be used within a few weeks.