One of the things I absolutely love about Spanish cuisine is the absolute simplicity of countless dishes – where it’s just up to the ingredients themselves to shine. And there are few dishes where I think this is exemplified more than in this blistered Spanish padrón peppers recipe!
As one of my absolute favourite tapas to order at a bar throughout the country, these peppers are just blistered on a hot griddle before being topped with some salt. As soon as I see them behind any bar or on any menu in Spain, it is certain that I’m ordering them!
It also turns out that they’re super simple to make at home! If you can get your hands on some pimientos de padrón (or shishito peppers – which are very similar), then make sure to prep them this way!
How to Make Blistered Padrón Peppers
I love these blistered peppers so much that I went out of my way to grow them in my garden as they’re not easily found in Australia. Whatever way you manage to find these incredible little peppers, the way of preparing them is super simple and takes all of 5 minutes.
I recommend using a cast iron skillet or griddle to make quick and easy work of charring the peppers, however, it will work with any kind of skillet you own.
All you need to do to make these peppers is to put your pan over high heat and add a bit of olive oil. As soon as the oil is just smoking, add your peppers.
Cook the peppers on one side until they are blistering and beginning to char. This should only take a minute or two.
Then, flip the peppers over and char them on the other side. You want to ensure that the peppers are adequately blistered all over to get the desired and most “authentic” effect.
Once your padróns are blistered, all you need to do is transfer them to a serving dish and sprinkle with a good amount of flaky sea salt.
If you don’t have flaky salt, simple coarse salt will do, as well, it’s just not as pretty or texturally interesting! You can also go ahead and drizzle with a little bit more olive oil, if you’d like.
Supposedly, about 1 in 10 of the peppers are meant to be spicy. However, I’ve never encountered a single spicy pepper across lots of travels in Spain. Conversely, the peppers I grew in my garden were almost all entirely spicy – so much so that I would say the ratio was flipped!
If anyone reading this knows why that is, please leave a comment below as I would be super interested in knowing!
Serve these peppers as an appetiser or as part of a larger Spanish spread – perhaps alongside some gildas or my marinated olives!
Blistered Spanish Padrón Peppers
Ingredients
- 20-25 padrón peppers (see notes)
- 2 tbsp (2 tbsp) olive oil plus more for serving
- flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet or griddle (preferably cast iron) and set over medium heat.
- Once the oil is just smoking, add the peppers all at once. Cook for a minute or two on one side until they begin to blister and blacken. Turn the peppers and continue to cook until they are blackened all over. This should only take a few minutes.
- Transfer the peppers to a serving plate and top generously with flaky sea salt. Drizzle some high-quality extra virgin olive oil over the peppers if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Making blistered padrón peppers at home is an excellent – and super easy – way to bring a classic Spanish bar to your home kitchen.
Are you looking for some simple Spanish tapas? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
