Pimientos de Padrón tapas
Padron peppers (pimientos de padrón) originally hail from Galicia and are a tapas favourite in Spain. Eating them is a bit like playing Russian roulette: most are mild, but every now and then you'll bite into a wickedly hot one. We've discovered these tasty peppers also like growing on our farm in France. Here is a quick and easy tapas recipe.
Ingredients
- 200g padron peppers
- olive oil for frying
- coarse sea salt
- pinch smoked paprika (optional)
Method
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Step 1
Clean and dry the padron peppers, leaving them whole with their stalks intact.
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Step 2
Heat a generous covering of olive oil in a large, heavy based frying pan. When the oil is hot and glistening, add the peppers. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to fry them in a couple of batches.
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Step 3
Keep on a high heat; turning occasionally until their shiny skins are wrinkled and blistered (you will notice they deflate too).
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Step 4
Remove from the heat. Serve immediately in a tapas dish with a good sprinkling of sea salt. For a twist, add a pinch of Spanish smoked paprika.
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Step 5
This dish also lends itself to a bottle of ice cold beer with a twist of lime and a good dose of sunshine...