Padron

£2.00

Popular in Spain as a tapas the young, green fruit are fried in olive oil and eaten whole.

Heat level: medium
(immature fruit: almost heatless; red, ripe fruit: 8,000 SHU)

Description

Capsicum annuum

pimiento de padron chilli
Though traditionally picked at the immature stage, if allowed to ripen  the fruit turn red and are good for use as a cooking chilli.

Popular in Spain as a tapas, Padron is a mangetout chilli whose fruit are picked when young and green (preferably 4 to 6cm long); fried in oil; and eaten whole, tender seeds and all (see ‘Additional Information’). At this stage of maturity, most of the fruit will be heatless, though the occasional hot one will make a surprise appearance.

It’s a different story for fruit allowed to ripen on the plant. They grow to about 10cm long and turn bright red. All of them develop heat to some extent, and on average they are medium hot. Though the level of pungency is modest, there’s enough to spice up needy dishes such as curries, pickles and chutneys.

Grow the tall plants either in the ground or pots 7.5 to 10 litres in size, and give them support so that they stay upright. Since young fruit are produced quite early, plants might be grown successfully outdoors in sheltered spots down south.

 

Heat level: medium (8,000 SHU – mature fruit tested)
For more information on heat levels please click here.

Approximate number of seeds per pack: 15

 

 

Additional information

To eat as a 'mangetout'

To eat Padron as a ‘mangetout’, do the following:
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• Harvest immature, green fruit when they are 4 to 6cm long. At this stage, the seeds are still soft and pliable, and some of the fruit might be hot.
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• Fry the fruit in hot oil until the skin blisters – we use British cold pressed rapeseed oil. The fruit spit and spatter, propelling hot oil from the pan, so be careful not to get burned.
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• Scatter some salt over the fruit and eat them, seeds and all, while they are warm. Remember, though, that some of the fruit might be spicy.
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•.Other varieties that can be eaten as mangetout are Sivri Biber, Friggitello, Bullet and Turkish Delight.