Padron pepper
Capsicum annuum
Padrons are small green peppers, commonly served as a bar snack in Spain. Sweet and smoky tasting, most are mild, but every now and then you'll bite into a wickedly hot one. Grown on our French farm all through the summer.
In the kitchen
How to store Padron pepper
Store them like regular peppers; keep them in the fridge in the bag they came in and use within a week.
Prep & Cooking tips
Give them a quick wash before using and and pat dry. They are most often cooked whole, either roasted or fried in a pan until blistered and soft. Sprinkle with sea salt and wolf down in the company of a frosty beer. Most are mild, but some are wickedly hot! Appearance is no help at all; the only way to tell is to take a bite.
They can be sliced and added to dishes and would make a great addition to pizza toppings or fajita fillings. If you want to get fiddly you could stuff and bake them; some crumbled and fried chorizo would be fitting.
Easy ideas
1. Simple
Heat a splash of oil and fry them whole until deeply blistered. Sprinkle with sea salt for a fine snack. Keep a cool beer close at hand to soothe the sting of the wickedly hot ones.
2. Stuffed
If you’ve got a bit more time, they’re also excellent stuffed. Try this recipe for stuffed padron peppers with red pepper and tomato dip.
3. BBQ'd or griddled
Cook them whole, directly on the grill over a high heat, until blistered and soft. Dress with sea salt and oil and wolf down hot, preferably with a frosty beverage.
Goes well with
Cheese (Goat’s cheese, Feta)
Coarse sea salt
Olive oil
Smoked paprika
Beer
Sherry
Padron pepper recipes
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Blistered Padron pepper salsa
Serves: 2 Total time: 15 min
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Pimientos de Padrón tapas
Serves: 4 Total time: 15 min
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Beetroot hummus
Serves: 6 Total time: 1h
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Bonfire chilli bowl
Serves: 6 Total time: 1h 20 min
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Smoky quinoa stuffed peppers with Wootton White (or feta)
Serves: 2 Total time: 55 min
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Braised fennel and peppers with anise
Serves: 4 Total time: 35 min
In the field
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Meet the grower: Riverford in the Vendée , Le Boutinard, France
Our brilliant French grower team, led by Marco Altamirano, supply our boxes with loads of colourful veg throughout the year. There’s lettuces, sweet mini peppers, cucumbers, broad beans, aubergines, autumn squashes – plus some of our favourite unusual treats of the year, including Padron peppers, cape gooseberries and tangy Mexican-style tomatillos.
UK seasonality
Padron pepper varieties
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Padron peppers
Padrons are a small green pepper - they're most often mild, but sometimes have moderate heat – and watch out for the occasional lurker with a really wild kick!
