Padrón Peppers Recipe

Prep

Rinse the Padrón peppers and pat them very dry with kitchen towels or a salad spinner. Remove any stems that are loose or damaged, but keep most stems intact so the peppers are easy to pick up.

Heat pan

Place a large heavy skillet (cast iron preferred) over medium-high to high heat. Heat the pan until it is very hot, about 3–5 minutes. The pan should be smoking faintly when hot enough.

Cook peppers

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the hot pan and swirl to coat. Add the dried Padrón peppers in a single layer (they will crowd a bit — that's fine). Let them sit undisturbed for about 1 minute so blistering begins, then toss or shake the pan to turn them. Continue to cook, stirring or shaking every 30–45 seconds, for 4–6 minutes total, until most peppers are blistered and charred in spots and they have softened slightly.

Finish and season

Remove the skillet from the heat. Immediately sprinkle the peppers with the coarse sea salt (about 1 teaspoon), tossing to distribute. If using, add the cracked black pepper and toss again. Taste one and adjust salt if needed.

Serve

Transfer peppers to a serving bowl or plate while still hot. Serve with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over if desired. Eat warm, picking up by the stem.