How to Roast Mexican Chili Peppers
Large Mexican chilis (also spelled "chiles") are well-suited to roasting. Poblano chilis are a common variety that often are roasted in Mexican cooking. Roasting them slightly cooks the peppers, which improves the flavor. Roasting also makes it easy to remove the tough skin from peppers. Chilis can be roasted over an open flame on a gas stove or grill, or under the broiler in an oven. Small chilis such as jalapenos and serranos can be pan-roasted in a dry skillet on a stove top. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Fresh chili peppers, washed and patted dry
- Tongs or long-handled fork
- Gas stove
- Bowl
- Kitchen towel or plastic wrap
- Oven with broiler
- Baking sheet or broiler pan
- Skillet
Instructions
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Open Flame Method
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1
Hold a pepper securely with tongs or a long-handled fork. Turn on a gas stove burner to low flame. Outdoors, use a flame from a gas or charcoal grill.
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2
Roast peppers one at a time over the open flame, turning frequently. Roast until the pepper is blistered and blackened all over, about five minutes.
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3
Place the peppers in a bowl and cover loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap until cool enough to handle.
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4
Rub off the charred pepper skins and discard. Pull out the pepper stems and seed pods and discard. If necessary, rinse the peppers in water to remove any clinging bits of skin or seeds.
Broiler Method
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5
Preheat an oven broiler to high, and position an oven rack four to five inches below the broiler. Place the peppers on a baking sheet or broiler pan.
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6
Watch the peppers carefully, and turn them every one to two minutes to ensure even roasting. Roast for about 10 minutes until skin is blistered and blackened all over.
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7
Place the peppers in a bowl and cover loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap until cool enough to handle.
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8
Rub off the charred pepper skins and discard. Pull out the pepper stems and seed pods and discard. If necessary, rinse the peppers in water to remove any clinging bits of skin or seeds.
Skillet Method
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9
Place a heavy skillet over medium heat.
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10
Place small chilis in the dry, heated skillet and roast about 10 minutes, turning frequently, until the skin is splotchy with blackened spots.
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11
Peel the chilis, if desired, when cool. Peeling is not necessary; small, roasted chilis often are eaten with the skin intact. Pull the stem to remove seed pod from the chilis.
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Tips & Warnings
Peppers roast quickly over an open flame and the flesh remains somewhat firm. The broiler method takes longer, which yields softer flesh.
Roasted peppers also can be placed in a bag to loosen the skin. Place freshly roasted peppers in a paper or plastic bag and fold over or seal to close. Remove the peppers when they are cool, skin and seed. This method yields softer chilis.
Roasted peppers will keep in the refrigerator, covered in olive oil, for about a week. They can be canned or frozen for longer storage.
Chilis can quickly go from splotchy to burnt when roasting. Do not leave them to roast unattended.
Wear rubber gloves when peeling and seeding hot varieties of chilis.
References
- Photo Credit peppers image by charles taylor from Fotolia.com
