The Chilli Guru

Capsicum annuum "Padrón"

Padrón chillies

Padrón

Padrón chillies

Notes

Fried Padrón peppers are an important tapas dish in Spain. Most of the individual chillies are mild, but a few are much spicier which adds an element of suspense to the dish. A very reliable variety, and as the chillies are harvested green, the crop is both very early and heavy. Our home grown Padróns had a lot more flavour than some Spanish grown ones purchased from a supermarket.

cooked Padrón chillies

Culinary

Padrón chillies should be harvested green, and fried in olive oil until the skins blister and the flesh is soft. They are then served sprinkled with coarse sea salt. The stems can impart a bitter edge to the flavour, so in Galicia the stems are removed before the chillies are fried. In other parts of Spain the stems are left on to serve as a convenient handle when eating the cooked chilli.

Incidentally, left over Padrónes are delicious - they seem to have even more flavour cold than when they were freshly cooked.



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