Padrón peppers are small green Spanish peppers cooked quickly in hot olive oil until blistered and tender, then finished with coarse sea salt. They are a good appetizer to make when you want something warm and snackable that takes about 10 minutes and only a few ingredients.
In Spain, Padrón peppers are usually served simply with olive oil and salt. I make mine with less oil than the traditional Galician method, but they still have tender skins and just enough blistered spots.
My favorite way is to add a wedge of lemon to the plate. A few drops of lemon juice are not traditional, but they brighten the peppers without taking over.
What are Padrón peppers?
Padrón peppers are small green peppers from Spain, named after a town in northwestern Spain where they originated. They are traditionally served as tapas and are usually cooked whole with the stems on.
Most are mild, but occasionally one can be spicy. To eat them, hold each pepper by the stem and bite off the pepper, leaving the stem behind.
Ingredients
- Padrón peppers: Choose fresh green peppers without soft spots. Smaller peppers are usually more tender.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This gives the peppers their flavor. This recipe uses enough oil to coat the pan and help the peppers blister, rather than frying them in a large amount of oil.
- Coarse sea salt or flaky salt: Add it right after cooking, while the peppers are still hot.
- Lemon wedge, optional: A few drops of fresh lemon juice taste very good with them.
How to cook Padrón peppers
Rinse the peppers and dry them well with a kitchen towel.
Heat the oil in a wide skillet over high heat. The oil should be hot but not smoking. When you add the first pepper, it should sizzle right away.
Add the peppers. Ideally, they should sit mostly in one layer. Cook until blistered on one side, then use kitchen tongs to turn a few over. If they are brownish and blistered, turn the rest and cook until blistered on both sides.
If using a cast iron skillet, reduce the heat slightly once the peppers are added. Cast iron holds heat very well, so this helps keep the oil and peppers from burning.
Some peppers will cook faster than others. Remove them as needed before they get too dark and bitter.
Transfer the peppers to a plate, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve warm. Add a few drops of lemon juice if you like.
Tips for the best results
Use a wide skillet if possible. If the peppers are too crowded, they will soften before they blister.
Do not overcook them. The skins should be blistered in spots, not black all over. Overdone peppers can taste bitter.
Salt them right away. Coarse or flaky salt works best because it stays on the surface and adds texture.
Are Padrón peppers spicy?
Most Padrón peppers are mild, but about 1 in 10 has a noticeable kick. That is part of the fun of eating them in Spain.
You cannot always tell which one will be hot just by looking. Larger, more mature or late-season peppers can sometimes have more heat, but it is not guaranteed.
Where to buy Padrón peppers
In the U.S., look for Padrón peppers at farmers markets, specialty produce stores and some larger grocery stores. They are most common in the warmer months, especially from around June through September.
Some specialty produce suppliers also sell them online when in season. Availability changes by region, so if you cannot find Padrón peppers, shishito peppers are the easiest substitute.
Padrón peppers vs shishito peppers
Padrón peppers and shishito peppers are both small green peppers that cook quickly in a hot pan, and both are usually served blistered with salt.
Shishito peppers are usually mild and rarely hot. Padrón peppers are similar but a bit more variable, known for the occasional spicy pepper. The two cook the same way, so you can use one in place of the other.
What to serve with them
- Crusty bread: Serve with bread dipping oil for a simple tapas-style appetizer.
- Cured meats: Add prosciutto, chorizo, salami or jamón.
- Hard cheese: Manchego, aged Cheddar or Gouda all work well.
- Spanish tortilla or Spanish omelet: This egg and potato dish is often served as tapas in Spain and goes well with Padrón peppers.
- Paella: Serve these peppers as a starter before paella or as part of a larger Spanish-style meal.
Can I make them ahead?
Padrón peppers are best enjoyed shortly after cooking, while they are still warm. You can keep leftovers in the fridge and reheat them briefly in a skillet, but they will not have the same texture as freshly cooked peppers.
More Spanish tapas recipes you might like
Padrón Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 ounces padrón peppers (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (see note 2)
- coarse sea salt (see note 3)
- fresh lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse and dry 9 ounces padrón peppers well with a kitchen towel.
- Heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over high heat, then add the peppers. The oil should be hot but not smoking.
- If using a cast iron skillet, reduce the heat slightly. Let the peppers cook until blistered on one side. With kitchen tongs, turn a couple over to see if they are brownish. If they are, turn them over and cook until all are blistered on both sides.
- Some peppers will cook faster than others, so remove them as needed before they get too dark and bitter.
- When ready, transfer them to a plate, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve warm.
- Optional: Add a few drops of fresh lemon juice before serving.
Notes
- Padrón peppers can be substituted with shishito peppers.
- Extra virgin olive oil gives the peppers the best flavor. This recipe uses less oil than the traditional Galician frying method, but still enough to help the peppers blister in the pan.
- Flaky or coarse sea salt works best here.
- Fresh lemon juice is optional. It is not the traditional way of serving Padrón peppers, but it tastes very good.
- Use a skillet or pan wide enough for mostly one layer of peppers. A few can overlap, but you will need to move them around so they blister evenly.
- This serves 4 as a light tapas-style appetizer.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from available data and may vary with ingredient brands and portion sizes.
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