Classic Spanish Tapas - Pimientos de Padrón
A Great Tasting Spicy Peppers Recipe: Tapas with a Sting in the Tail
Aug 10, 2009
There are all sorts of stories about the origins of tapas in Spain. One version claims that slabs of ham and cheese were use to cover glasses of beer and wine to stop insects from using them as unofficial swimming pools, another tale credits King Alfonso X with coming up with the idea. On his doctor’s advice he recovered from an illness by eating little portions of food accompanied by a glass of wine at regular intervals throughout the day. He found that it was such a pleasant way to pass the time that he decreed that all inn owners should throw in small snacks when their patrons ordered a glass of wine or beer. Whatever its origins, eating tapas is a wonderfully social way of dining and a great way to try out a selection of Spain’s incredibly diverse cuisine.
Small Green Peppers Grown in Herbon, Padrón
One particularly interesting and delicious tapas is Pimientos de Padrón. These small green peppers are normally grown in the small town of Herbon in Padrón (hence the name) in Spain. It’s believed that they were originally introduced to the area by monks returning from the New World.
They’re very simply cooked, fried in olive oil and sprinkled with rock salt, and have a wonderfully distinctive mild, slightly sweet flavour. However, here’s the real interesting part - one in ten can deliver a kick like a mule.
This little fact also makes them irresistible to children who would normally react to a plate of green shiny vegetables the way a vampire would react to a crucifix. Once they know that eating Pimientos de Padrón is on a par with playing culinary Russian roulette they’ll lap them up and discover in the process that not only are Pimientos de Padrón fun to eat, they’re tasty as well.
Preparing and cooking them couldn’t be simpler; it’s getting hold of them that might pose the problem.
Ingredients for Pimientos de Padrón
- Allow about 10 Pimientos de Padrón (small green peppers) per person
- Olive Oil
- Coarse rock salt
Cooking time: Around 5 minutes per batch
Preparation of Pimientos de Padrón
- Wash and pat dry the peppers
- Fry the peppers in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil for five to six minutes until their skin begins to blister, stirring constantly so that the peppers are coated in the olive oil and cooked throughout.
- Remove from the heat (watch the peppers implode as soon as they’re removed from the heat), arrange on a plate, sprinkle with plenty of rock salt and serve.
Serve with a selection of other tapas dishes such as Manchego cheese, Serrano ham etc.
How to Eat Pimientos de Padrón
The way to eat Pimientos de Padrón is to hold them by their stem, pop them into the mouth and bite off the whole pepper as close to the stem as possible… then wait to see if it’s a hot one.
Serving Tip: If eating Pimientos de Padrón with friends it’s great fun to take turns eating them to see who gets the spicy one. Despite what others may say there doesn’t appear to be a pattern, the hot ones can be small, big, skinny or chunky – there is no escape.
Cooks warning: Only use authentic Pimientos de Padrón; no other small green peppers taste quite the same.
Supplier of Pimientos de Padrón to the USA.
In Europe, outside of Spain of course, specialist delicatessens which stock Spanish products are the best options for finding Padrón peppers.
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