Padron peppers are Luis Castelero’s pride and joy. He grows Padron peppers at his ranch in Lake County, California and likes to serve them in the purest way which is using the following recipe that he shared with me. It goes something like this, blistered in a heavy skillet coated with olive oil and then simply salted with the best sea salt you can get your hands on. Take hold of a stem and bite into the pepper, the small ones in one bite and the larger ones maybe in two. They literally melt in your mouth with a small amount of salty heat chasing a lingering Padron pepper flavor as you grab the next one and the next one..
The following recipe makes a fair amount, enough to fit comfortably into a good size frying pan, which in turn fills up a dinner plate to serve as a killer appetizer. My husband and I easily polished off the whole amount last night. While it’s always more fun to enjoy Padron peppers up at the ranch with friends and a good bottle of wine on a hot Lake County Summer’s night, here’s Luis’ recipe- the next best thing. I wish I could share the peppers too.
Perfectly Fried Padron Peppers
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These Padron peppers melt in your mouth with a salty heat and lingering pepper flavor, making them an irresistible appetizer.
Ingredients
- 2 generous cups of Padron peppers
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is hot and shimmering.
- Add the Padron peppers to the skillet in a single layer. Cook and stir the peppers for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is brown and blistered, turning occasionally to ensure even cooking.
- Once the peppers are blistered, remove them from the pan and place them on a serving plate.
- Sprinkle the peppers generously with sea salt to taste.
- Serve immediately, enjoying the peppers by holding the stem and biting into them.
Notes
Use the best quality sea salt for optimal flavor. Serve immediately for the best taste and texture. These peppers are perfect with a glass of wine on a warm evening. If you can’t find Padron peppers, shishito peppers can be used as a substitute.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Spanish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 50
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 200
- Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 4
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 0
I love padron peppers, thank you for this Miriam!
Goooooorgeous! Crossing fingers that my pepper plants will pull through the season.
My second year growing Padrons in eastern Ontario. Since my first taste,in Barcelona,I crave them. I have found nowhere to purchase them in the area, so I order the seeds from the States, and have had great success in Zone 4. I will try to harvest some seeds this year, but am not sure if the length of our growing season will allow them to ripen to red. Got the seeds from Johnny’s this year, anywhere else I could order them from?? Found a tasty recipe for padron tacos…. oh my,my!!
Just had the Padron Peppers at Café Fina in Monterey, CA.
They were wonderful!
I just tried cooking this but it didn’t turn out the way it does at restaurants :( Think I need to practice more! :)
love to try these peppers ,hope they are available in New Zealand ,will have to enquire
love your recipes and website
We have 2 plants, my first ever and I will always have a place for these peppers in my garden. They are easy to grow, have no pests (so far), produce heavily and taste heavenly with the simple roast, oil and salt method. We have so many that I went on a search for a way of preserving the overload. The recipe that I found for pickled padron peppers is amazing. The peppers in my first batch were VERY hot, probably because I used larger ones that were not picked while we were away on vacation. I used cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. The resulting vinegar is the most delicious of all vinegars of all time!!!! Drizzle this vinegar over a Caprese Salad with accompanying drizzles of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, sprinkle with a designer salt of your choice and go to heaven. DELICIOUS.
allrecipes.com/recipe/pickled-padron-peppers
Planted by seed on 3/1/14 and I have now peppers starting to form. I think I’ll have a great season this year here in Seattle. I also allow acouple of peppers to mature so that I can dry them and harvest the seeds which are alot of seeds that come out of them. No need to pay $6 for afew seeds.
We just picked about 10 Padron’s from the garden. I can’t wait to try this easy, tasty recipe! Thanks for sharing!
I got my Padron pepper seeds from Renee’s Garden, a CA nursery that sells online. I started them the 1st week in March, 1 month ago. Now I have 8 vigorous seedlings, which are almost big enough to go into the ground. I appreciated learning that I can get hundreds from one plant which can keep producing into Dec! I may not need to plant them all. I’m also glad to learn that it is the larger ones that blow off your head, so keep them small, unless you dehydrate them. Lots of good tips here. I can’t wait to try them (the peppers and the tips).
Love my padron peppers! Have 10 plants of this and I still pickem here in SF even this late. Got the plants from Hirt’s garden via Amazon late March.
Thank you for sharing the very simple yet best way to enjoy these peppers! Living in northern california I’m lucky that they are a staple at my local grocer.