Charred Padron Peppers with Fleur De Sel

August 26, 2013

These cute little padron peppers just popped up at my local market. I remember eating these as an appetizer somewhere and they were the perfect little dish to accompany a late summer meal. What’s even better is how simple they are to prepare. Don’t let their place within the pepper family frighten you; they are mostly mild with only the occasional (tolerable) heat that disappears pretty quickly from your tastebuds. It’s actually sort of fun to eat them… like a game of pepper roulette. Everyone around the table can keep popping these delicious little things until someone gets a hot one! I served mine with a sprinkling of fleur de sel that I just picked up at a Napa Valley spice shop, along with a soy-agave-sesame seed dipping sauce. We cleaned the plate in a matter of minutes.

This serving was perfect for 3-4 people to share:

an 8-oz carton of padron peppers, washed with stems still on
2 tbsp olive oil
about a 1/2 tsp of fleur de sel or sea salt
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp agave
sprinkling of sesame seeds

In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Place the washed peppers onto the pan and cook over high heat, turning them every so often until their skins begin to blister then blacken.

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, agave and sesame seeds and pour into a small dipping dish.

Once the peppers are evenly charred, place them onto a serving platter and sprinkle with the fleur de sel. Serve them piping hot with the dipping sauce and enjoy!