Fried Padrones Peppers - Spain's Deliciously Dangerous Divas
Padrones are small green peppers, native to Spain, but occasionally available in American farmer's markets. The season is very short, and in just a few weeks they disappear, like some mysterious, charismatic tourist leaving just as things are heating up. They tell you they'll see you next year, but that doesn't help the melancholy as you mope over to the jalapeños.
In addition to their complex, bitter-sweet flavor, the usually mild padrones are the world's most exciting pepper to eat. This is due to a fascinating genetic oddity - one out of every dozen or so peppers is really s
picy! So, there you are, happily enjoying your time with this sexy, soft-spoken Spaniard, and wham! Out of nowhere you get slapped in the face! By the way, if this metaphor is ever made into a movie, Penélope Cruz will be playing the part of the temperamental pepper.
As you'll see in the video, a simple preparation is recommended. A quick sizzle in hot olive oil, and a few flakes of "Fleur de Sel" sea salt is all that's needed with this late summer treat. Too many ingredients, and the flavor will not be fully enjoyed. Think about it, in the movie, should Penélope Cruz be in a 3-piece suit, or a simple cotton sundress? Enjoy!
A special thanks to Steve Eliot for his generous gift of these beautiful padrones.
25 comments:
ok. I found an information here that i want to look for.
yeah! its much better,
Nice one. When the ingredients are perfect you don't have to do much to them!
BTW- I am sooo glad ou post pics/vids of foods you acually prepare. Unlike those umscroupulous food bloggers who lure in with a pretty photo from somwhere else only to see their shoddy work after the fact-phew.
Thanks,
Jeff
are the peppers available at a regular supermarket?
no, usually at farmers market only. u can get seeds online.
Hey John,
Great blog! I really enjoy your work.
How much traffic does foodwishes command?
thanks! email me if you want to talk traffic/business
Great video and nice work! I'm hungry now :)
Chef, please have you seen this cooking video? Unfortunately it is without a voice-over...
http://www.eatpes.com/western_spaghetti.html
Planning my twice a year visit to Madrid to visit my grandsons, oh yes and my son and daughter-in-law too. I've been hearing about padrones from my son for years now but have never tasted any. This is a next on my list of things to try. Will look in my supermarket here in the states.
lovely AND talented??? you flatter me, john.
i'm making my dad make me fried eggs and padrones for breakfast this weekend. he doesn't know about this yet, but will soon.
you're too awesome. =)
Thanks! I wonder what wine he would pair with padrones and eggs?
these look great! I saw these a couple weeks ago at my farmer's market, but for some reason decided not to get them... bad decision!! I've been seeing recipes for them all around since then, and am hoping they'll still be available this weekend when I go to the FM
sounds like a recipe to try if your feeling dangerous!!
These are great. Happy Quail Farms sells them for $6 per 4 oz bag at the Palo Alto farmer's market but I found another vendor selling them for $4 for a 6 oz tub at the Saratoga farmer's market. Couldn't resist them!
I'm from Spain and I have to congratulate you John. This recipe is the real deal! (Just like Mom cooks them.)
Some back story: these are some great peppers, but they just really work well in their season, which lasts just a couple of weeks as Chef John mentioned. That's probably why you don't really see them much in the US. Moreover they don't really taste well when preserved and surely they are not the kind of spicy as in Mexican chiles (after all, we are European!).
At home in Madrid we usually bet on who finds the spicy one. As we say in Spain: "¡Pimientos de Padrón, unos pican y otros non!". A couple of years ago I heard of some scientists who were looking into why this happens. It turned out it has to do with the ammount of water and sun the plant gets and how many fruits you have in it. Not everyone agrees. But you can sure distinguish the natural ones from the ones produced off-season in greenhouses: the greenhouse peppers are dull in flavor and it is rare to find a really spicy one.
Thanks for all the recipes John!
Would curly italian peppers be a good substitute? Cut into chunks and fried the same way? Actually, my family recipe is that we slice the curly peppers length-wise, stuff them with a seasoned, pureed fishpaste, dust with cornstarch and fry till done and finish with an oyster sauce based sauce. The texture of peppers look the same as yours once cooked, and it can hit or miss pleasantly spicy or ramped up hot too depending on the individual peppers.
sure, any fried peppers are good, but there is only one padrones!
cotton sundress, please
This is my favorite tapas with freshly crushed sea salt on them, yummy!
Yum, I miss them. My family has some crops, and I get always a bunch for summer .
At home we actually fry them, but that works quite fine.
To avoid splatering, we prick them a bit around to break the skin.
Now I wish i had some, taste of Galician summer, sniff.
So I'm not supposed to heat non-stick pans on high heat...
Do I need to use black steel then?
How about copper and aluminum?
Your pans does not look like black steel. Is it stainless steel?
yes, i used steel. The others will work if high-quality and not cheap nonstick
is the "fleur de sel" necessary (the sea salt)? can it just be regular salt not from the sea? isn't sodium chloride sodium chloride?
Thanks, great recipe BTW!
yes, but its not the taste, its the flaky, crunchy texture of the sea salt that makes it so nice.
Post a Comment