Miriam Garcia with one of the most classic Spanish tapas – fried padron peppers.
By Miriam Garcia
Have you ever heard about Padron peppers? There’s a saying that goes Pimientos de Padrón, unos pican y otros no (Padron peppers, some are hot and some are not). This refers to the fact that most of Padron peppers are sweet and flavorful, while only a few of them can be quite hot, making eating them a culinary Russian roulette. They are not only a gastronomic pleasure, but a lot of fun too. 
These little morsels of vegetable goodness originate in the northwestern region of Galicia, around the town of Padrón, hence their name. I have some kinfolk living in Galicia, at Santiago de Compostela, so I visit often and have the chance to eat fried Padron peppers at the local bars… delish. Padron peppers are usually eaten fried in olive oil and with a sprinkle of coarse salt that not only enhances their flavor, but adds a nice crunch. No need for any other garnish, simplicity and quality food at its best.
School of Tapas: Fried Padron Peppers
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Flavorful fried green peppers typical from the Galician town of Padrón
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound fresh Padron peppers
- Virgin olive oil for frying
- Coarse salt or fleur de sel to taste
Instructions
- Wash the peppers thoroughly and pat dry with kitchen paper.
- Pour the oil in a pan to a depth of 1″ approximately and put it on medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, grab a handful of peppers and throw them into the oil. Use a lid as the oil will splash quite a lot. They should brown on both sides, but should not get too dark. Turn them over if necessary.
- When done, take them out with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with the salt. Serve immediately while piping hot accompanied by a sturdy country bread.
- Cook Time: 10 mins
For eating the peppers, you’ve got to hold them by the stem, bite into the flesh and pull, leaving the stem intact. You’ll end up with a nice collection of little stems on your plate. Fried Padron peppers are superb served with a chilled fruity Galician white wine like Ribeiro or Albariño.
Your beautifully descriptive article has reminded me how much I love these peppers! I’ve just added some to my supermarket order and will enjoy them this weekend.
I discovered these Padron peppers at an TAPAS INN in Sevilla called “Hurricane” in 2011 on a business trip.
I have been hooked on these green little gems ever since but I could not get them here in Israel.
I tried growing them – no luck, they could not be found.
Now a local greenhouse has begun growing them and I am in HEAVEN!!!
I bought two Padron pepper plants at the Spanish Table in Seattle this spring and they are blooming like crazy. I googled the recipe and found your recipe. Thanks!! We’re going to go enjoy this before we have Paella. Can’t wait.
Where can you order online for these Padron peppers
These peppers are grown under the name of tapas peppers in North Carolina and come in my box of locally-grown produce.
Thanks for a delightfully simple recipe for these mischievous little peppers! They are easy to grow in California (now that I found seeds) and such a pleasure as tapas. Now I can prepare them at home!
Thanks Miriam, I just ate a whole (small) plate of them.
Yes get your hands on the seeds or plants. They are vigorous growers, and will outstrip most of your standard varieties. Even in full sun my plants are rather gangly, as if secretly they wished they were a vine. I gave up on keeping them upright, I just let them sprawl.
The peppers don’t taste good raw, but are fantastic fried or broiled.
Besides the taste, the best thing about this recipe is the peppers go from your garden to your table in all of ten minutes. Great appetizer.
One of the best tapas we’ve tasted introduced to us by our son-in-law and have been looking for a recipe. This looks like just what we want so thank you very much. My daughter got the hot one all others were sweet.
I tried it but the chillies were very hot.how do i handle the spicy part of the chillies?
“Pimientos de Padrón, unos pican y otros no” love the russion roultette fact
Where can we buy these in British Columbia – in the Fraser Valley?
Todo may Rico!
I walked The Camino in 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016. Each time it was a treat to see the farmers roasting them and eating them at a local restaurant. Amazing goodness. This recipe is perfect!
Incredibly fantastic, love this tapa! Just like in Spain!