A recipe for one of the most popular and possibly the fastest Spanish tapas. You will also learn what Pimientos de Padrón can be substituted for.
What are pimientos de Padrón?
Pimientos de Padrón (Padrón peppers) are small green peppers grown traditionally in Galicia, Spain. Their main season is from May to October, but in Spain you can buy them all year round. They are fried whole in a hot pan and served deep-fried with a stem that serves as a natural holder for the canapé.
What is the difference between pimientos de Padrón and pimientos de Herbón?
Pimientos de Padrón or Padrón peppers is the commonly used name for this type of peppers. Padrón is an area in Galicia, where these peppers were originally brought to from Mexico as a gift to their fellow monastics by New World missionaries in the 16th century.
Herbón is a small town in this area, which covers the official protected origin. Thus, while pimientos de Padrón are grown in many parts of Spain and Morocco, the original protected PDO peppers are only grown in Galicia in the Padrón region and are referred to as "pimientos de Herbón".
Are pimientos de Padrón hot?
In the vast majority they are not, but at the same time almost every portion contains at least one pepper that is very spicy. It is also true that more ripe peppers with a colour turning slightly red are hotter.
What should you pay attention to when choosing peppers?
Peppers should be bright green with a fresh shine, without brown spots.
What to replace pimientos de Padrón with?
In the south of Spain, fried fresh green peppers are served as a side dish to many dishes. As they are a bit thicker and firmer than small Padron peppers, try to use the smallest ones possible and fry them for a minute or two longer.
You can replace Padrón peppers with young green peppers
What should you pay attention to during preparation?
This tapa is one of the easiest and cannot be spoiled if one follows the recipe. Peppers are so delicate that there is no need to worry about frying them not long enough.
They can also be eaten fresh. When preparing this recipe, the trick is to combine the fresh, crispy flesh with the crispy skin and sea salt.
It is advisable to dry the peppers thoroughly before frying. They will still sizzle, but a little less.
Dry the peppers perfectly before frying, otherwise they will sizzle too much.
Recipe: Pimientos de Padrón - Fried Peppers in a Pan
INGREDIENTS:
Preparation: 11 minutes
Serves: 3
- 200g pimientos de Padrón
- 40 ml of extra virgin olive oil
- Coarse (sea) salt (or sea salt flakes)
METHOD
- Heat a dry frying pan to the highest flame. Add olive oil. Wait for 20 seconds.
-
Add the peppers and fry them on all sides for one minute.
- Let them drain on a paper towel for a while.
- Sprinkle with coarse salt
AN INTERESTING FACT
The best time of the year to prepare fried pepper is no doubt in the summer months. The variety of peppers is overwhelmingly extensive and there are different varieties better or worse suited for frying. The best ones are the Italian or crystal peppers, those from Padrón and the peppers from Guernika (Choriceros).
