Culinary Advisor
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Fire-Roasted Padron Peppers with Sea Salt
Created by Chef Ally
Blistered Padron peppers straight from a screaming hot pan, charred and tender, dressed with nothing but good olive oil and flaky sea salt, the way they eat them in Spain.
Padron peppers need almost nothing from you. That is the point. When they are truly fresh, picked small and firm and brought to market within a day or two, the best thing you can do is get out of the way.
Find them at your farmers' market in late summer when they are at their peak. Look for peppers no longer than two inches, bright green and glossy, with stems still attached. The larger ones have more seeds and more heat. The small ones are sweeter, more tender, more forgiving. Ask the farmer when they were picked. If the answer is anything longer than two days, wait for next week.
This dish comes from the Galician region of Spain, where they call them pimientos de Padron. The saying goes that some are hot and some are not, and you never know which until you bite. That unpredictability is part of the pleasure. A hot pan, good oil, coarse salt. Let things taste of what they are.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary AdvisorIngredients
fresh Padron peppers
Quantity
1 pound
extra-virgin olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
flaky sea salt
Quantity
to finish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh Padron peppers | 1 pound |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| flaky sea salt | to finish |
Equipment Needed
- •12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy pan
- •Tongs or wooden spoon for turning
Instructions
- 1
Select and prepare peppers
Look at your peppers before you cook them. They should be firm, glossy, and bright green with no soft spots or wrinkling. Rinse them gently and dry them completely. Water on a pepper in hot oil will spatter and steam rather than char. You want direct contact between pepper and heat.
- 2
Heat the pan
Set a cast iron skillet or heavy pan over high heat. Let it get truly hot, three to four minutes at least. Hold your hand six inches above the surface. You should feel the heat rising. Add the olive oil and let it shimmer, almost smoking. This is not the moment to be timid.
A pan that is not hot enough will sweat the peppers rather than blister them. Wait for the oil to ripple and thin out across the surface. - 3
Blister the peppers
Add the peppers to the hot oil in a single layer. Do not crowd them. You should hear an immediate, aggressive sizzle. Leave them alone for sixty to ninety seconds until the skin touching the pan blackens and blisters. Toss or turn them, then let them char on another side. The whole process takes three to four minutes. The peppers will collapse slightly and soften.
- 4
Finish and serve
Tumble the peppers onto a warm plate the moment they are done. Scatter flaky sea salt over them generously while they are still glistening. Serve immediately. The peppers are best eaten with your fingers, stems pinched between thumb and forefinger, the tender flesh pulled away in one bite.
The salt must be flaky, not fine. Maldon or a similar finishing salt clings to the blistered skin and provides texture with each bite.
Chef Tips
- •The season for Padron peppers runs from late July through September. Outside that window, you may find shishito peppers at the market. They are Japanese rather than Spanish, slightly sweeter, but respond beautifully to the same treatment.
- •Cook in batches if necessary. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and steams the peppers instead of charring them. Better to make two batches than one mediocre one.
- •A squeeze of lemon after salting brightens everything, though traditionalists in Galicia would never do it. I leave that to you.
- •Save any oil left in the pan. It will carry the flavor of the peppers and is wonderful drizzled over grilled bread or stirred into beans.
Advance Preparation
- •There is no advance preparation for this dish. The peppers must go from pan to plate to mouth in one swift motion. Everything else is waiting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 120g)
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