Pimientos de Padrón are small green Spanish Peppers that are typically sautéed in olive oil until their skin becomes blistered and browned. They are topped with sea salt and served as an appetizer or tapa at restaurants throughout Barcelona.

They originate from Padrón in the northwest part of Spain in Galicia.

Spanish peppers blistered and sprinkled with flaky sea salt in a black cast iron pan.

💡Recipe Inspiration

When we lived in Barcelona, we ordered this dish as a tapa when out to eat or as an appetizer to a larger meal.

I have never been able to find these peppers at grocery stores in the northeast, so each summer I try my hand at growing them in our garden. This year I was lucky enough to get a handful out of our garden, enough for a small dish.

🛒 Ingredients

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Consider using Spanish extra virgin olive oil. Spain is the largest producer of olive oil in the world, and produces excellent olive oil, often at a lower cost than those imported from Italy.
Pimientos de Padrón: These are hard if not impossible to find, but Shishito Peppers are an excellent substitute. Shishito peppers can be found at many grocery stores. They are very similar in taste and texture. Some Pimientos de Padrón are spicy and some are not, and the same is true with Shishito peppers. However, the proportion of spicy shishito peppers in a bunch is much lower than with Pimientos de Padrón.
Flaky Sea Salt: For sprinkling before serving. I use the Maldon brand. It can be expensive, but one box will last a year, if not longer.

See the recipe card further below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

📝 How to Make Blistered Spanish Peppers

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Spanish Peppers or Pimientos de Padrón.

Note: The recipe card with instructions, ingredient list, and quantities is included further below these step-by-step photos.

The Spanish Peppers in a cast iron skillet before and after cooking.

Step 1. Bring a sauté pan to medium heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, allow to warm through. Add the peppers, do not overcrowd the pan. Be careful as the water content in the peppers reaches the olive oil, the hot olive oil will splatter.

Step 2. Blistered Peppers: Continue to saute, stirring occassionally until the skin of the peppers starts to darken and blister, about 10-15 minutes depending on how hot or crowded the pan is. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve.

Tip: Work in batches if needed to prevent overcrowding the pan. Adding too many peppers at once will cause them to steam rather than blister and darken.

🍽️ What to Serve with Spanish Peppers

Spanish Salad: Start with a Spanish salad filled with orange segments, olives, and toasted almonds.
Flamenquines: Make Flamenquines as the main course and serve the Spanish Peppers on the side. Flamenquines are thin pork cutlets wrapped around ham and cheese, breaded and pan-fried until crispy.
Chocolate Basque Cheesecake Recipe: serve an easy Chocolate Basque Cheesecake for dessert or learn how to make Cheesecake without a springform pan.

🫑 How to Eat Pimientos de Padrón

This dish is meant to be finger food. To eat the peppers, hold the stem and bite off the entire pepper so that you are left just holding the stem. You can usually eat a whole pepper in one bite.

What makes this dish fun is that it becomes a game of spicy Russian roulette: some of the peppers are spicy and some are not and there is no way of knowing which is which. We always have a blast selecting one at a time and seeing who gets a spicy one. It’s an appetizer and entertainment all in one.

💖 For More Spanish Dishes You May Love

If you tried these Blistered Spanish Peppers or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.