Spanish Padrón Peppers with Sea Salt

Name: Spanish Padrón Peppers with Sea Salt
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 lb fresh Padrón peppers (small, wrinkled green peppers); 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred); 1 tsp coarse sea salt or Maldon salt flakes

Blistered Padrón Peppers — Spain's Famous Russian Roulette Tapas

These little green gems from Galicia are mostly sweet and mild, but every so often you'll bite into one that packs serious heat — that's part of the thrill. A hot skillet, good olive oil, and flaky salt transform them into Spain's most addictive tapas in under ten minutes.

SpanishAppetizerSide DishVegetarianVeganGluten FreeDairy FreeQuick MealsHealthy

Prep5 min

Cook8 min

Total13 min

Servings4

Difficultyeasy

Nutrition

fat8g

carbs6g

protein2g

calories95

Ingredients

1 lbfresh Padrón peppers (small, wrinkled green peppers)
3 tbspextra virgin olive oil (Spanish preferred)
1 tspcoarse sea salt or Maldon salt flakes

Instructions

Gently pat the peppers completely dry with paper towels — any moisture will cause dangerous splattering when they hit the hot oil. Leave the stems on; they make perfect little handles for eating.
Warm the olive oil in your largest skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and moves freely across the pan. You'll know it's ready when a drop of water sizzles instantly on contact.
⏱ 2 min
Carefully add all the peppers in a single layer — they should sizzle aggressively on contact. Let them blister and char for about 5 minutes total, turning them with tongs every minute or so until they're wrinkled and spotted with dark blisters all over.
⏱ 5 min
Immediately transfer the peppers to a serving plate and shower them with the coarse salt while they're still sizzling hot. The salt will stick perfectly to the oil-slicked skins. Serve right away with cold beer or crisp white wine.