Blistered Padrón Peppers with Coarse Sea Salt
Pimientos de Padrón·(pee-myen-tos day pah-drohn)
SNACKS
Naturally Whole30 / Galician Tapas. Somewhere around Day 12 of your reset, the prospect of eating another handful of raw almonds is going to make you want to weep. You don’t need more willpower; you need a trip to Spain. In the Galicia region, Pimientos de Padrón are a legendary tapas staple. They are deeply savory, charred, and tossed in rich olive oil. Better yet, they come with a famous local warning: "Some are hot, and some are not." While ninety percent of them are mild and earthy, one in every handful packs a fiery punch, turning your Tuesday night snack into a highly entertaining game of culinary roulette. Traditionally, these are fried on the stovetop, but to save you from dodging splattering oil on a busy weeknight, we are throwing them on a blazing hot sheet pan. Let the oven do the heavy lifting.
Ingredients
- fresh Padrón or Shishito peppers1 lb
- extra-virgin olive oil2 tbsp
- coarse flaky sea salt1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven and your pan.
Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Place a large, rimmed metal baking sheet in the oven while it preheats. Starting with a screaming hot pan ensures the peppers blister instantly upon contact, rather than just steaming in their own juices.
- 02
Dry the peppers completely.
This is a crucial step. Dump the washed peppers onto a clean kitchen towel and dry them thoroughly. If they are damp, the water will prevent the oil from coating them properly, robbing you of that beautiful, flavorful char. Leave the stems on; they act as perfect little handles for snacking.
- 03
Coat and roast.
Transfer the dry peppers to a bowl, drizzle with the olive oil, and toss vigorously with your hands until every pepper is glistening.
- 04
Blister.
Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven. Pour the peppers onto the pan in a single layer—they should sizzle immediately. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the skins are deeply wrinkled, collapsed, and scorched in spots.
- 05
Finish and serve.
Transfer the blistered peppers to a serving plate, pooling any leftover olive oil from the pan right over the top. Shower generously with the flaky sea salt. Eat them immediately while they are hot, holding them by the stem and biting the pepper off.
Notes
The Sourcing Reality.
True Padrón peppers can be elusive in American supermarkets unless you hit a great farmer’s market in late summer. Do not stress. Grab Japanese Shishito peppers instead. Shishitos are widely available, visually similar, and blister beautifully on a sheet pan. They are generally milder and sweeter than Padróns, so you’ll miss out on the spicy-roulette element, but they deliver the exact same satisfying, salty, olive-oil-drenched snack experience.
Don't skimp on the salt.
Whole30 removes a lot of cheap, hyper-palatable crutches from your diet. To make whole foods sing, you have to lean into fundamental culinary techniques. Coarse, crunchy finishing salt is your best friend here. It provides bursts of salinity and texture that completely elevate the dish.
From Whole30 10 Minute Meals.