Culinary Explorer
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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.
Ingredients
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 |
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