Vegan Padrón Peppers Spanish-Tapas

This Vegan Padrón Peppers Spanish-Tapas dish is the first thing I look for on a menu in a Spanish Tapas Bar, whether in Spain or at home.

Where do Padrón Peppers come from?

Padrón peppers originate from the Municipality of Padrón in northwestern Spain and are also know as Herbón peppers.

I have been buying these fabulous little peppers for many years, when in season, in British supermarkets, but they have never tasted as good as these ones.

That’s because I was extremely lucky and my friend, Tom, brought these to my door straight from his garden.

They have quite a unique taste when cooked, which is enhanced by sprinkling flaked salt over them. And they say you may get a hot one!

I have to be honest, that rarely happens to me, but these little beauties straight from the garden had a few!

Apparently, the spiciness is due to climate and the environment they are grown in. So our fabulous hot summer may be the reason why this batch, straight from the garden, proved to be much spicier than I have experienced before. I could not have been happier! ????

Vegan Padrón Peppers Spanish-Tapas are naturally vegan and gluten free, simple to make, and oh so tasty!

The seeds are edible so you can just pop the whole thing in your mouth and bite off where the pepper meets the stalk.

How to cook Vegan Padrón Peppers Spanish-Tapas

Many recipes will say to cook in olive oil but due to the heat involved in cooking these little peppers quickly, is Olive Oil the best option?

I am no expert but because I get the oil in the pan to above the smoke point (the point at which oil smokes), I use sunflower oil to cook them with.

But fear not, I always drain any excess sunflower oil after cooking and drizzle with tasty olive oil before sprinkling with a good quality flaked salt.

So start by heating the oil in a griddle or frying pan. When it starts to smoke, add the peppers.

Keep them moving in the pan until their skins have evenly blistered and have browned. You can reduce to a medium heat at this point if smoking too much as you do not want them to burn. But it only takes 1-2 minutes to achieve tasty cooked peppers.

Then drain on kitchen paper and transfer to a warm serving dish.

During cooking, they will soften and their shape will ‘deflate’, this is normal so don’t think you have gone wrong when you see this happen.

Drizzle with a good quality olive oil, preferably Spanish, and sprinkle flaked salt over them, letting some fall between the cracks.

Serve immediately and ENJOY!