roasting and peeling peppers
The method is pretty much the same and can be followed with all fresh peppers.
Roasting peppers adds a wonderful smoky-roasted flavor.
I do this under the oven broiler. An outdoor grill will work just as good.
I prefer to peel the larger peppers because the skin may have a very bitter flavor that is removed together with the skin. I don't normally peel anything smaller than jalapeno, but I might still roast them.
Boiling or stewing peppers will also loosen the skin, just like with tomatoes, but by then the bitterness may have leeched into the stew.
roasting and peeling poblano peppers
Poblano peppers should always be peeled, or they will cause a bitter overtone in whatever recipe you use them with. My local grocery store sells them by weight, not by the bag, so I have to do the roasting at home. I usually don't buy more than a dozen or so. That amount will fit in a single session in my oven without a problem.
I prefer the larger poblanos that are fit for stuffing, even though I rarely use them for that purpose.
Directions
2020-08-17
Pic2: fresh poblano peppersPic3: under the broiler
Pic4: roasting
- Preheat the oven broiler.
- Soak the peppers for 15 minutes in water with baking soda to remove pesticides.
- Optional: core and deseed the peppers if you know you don't want the seeds.
Most of poblano heat is in the seeds and veins.- Remove that and you have a fairly mild pepper.
- Leave them and your poblano will be delightfully spicy.
- Arrange the peppers on an oven tray without touching each other.
- Roast under the broiler until blistered.
- You want high temp from the broiler to blister the peppers without fully cooking them.
- Fully-cooked peppers are fragile and will tear or break easily.
- Turn and repeat as needed to blister the entire pepper.
Pic5: in saucepanPic6: wrap
Pic7: bottom unpeeled, top peeled
- Pile the peppers on top of each other in a small saucepan. Place the lid on top.
- Wrap the saucepan in a thick towel to keep in the heat and rest 30-60 minutes.
This softens and separates the skin from the body. - If you roasted the peppers whole,
- cut a small slice next to the stem for stuffing and to wash away the seeds.
- Carefully peel the skin away from the pepper body without tearing the peppers.
Pic8: refrigeratePic9: sliced
Pic10: chopped
- Roasted peppers can be refrigerated for a few days before using.
- Slice or dice as needed per your intended recipe.
bell peppers
Bell peppers are a bit of a toss-up.
When they are the only ingredient, e.g. in bell pepper soup, peeling is useful because otherwise the bitter flavor can be quite prominent. Alternatively, add some sugar to mask the bitterness.
When they are one of many ingredients as in sauces and stir-fry dishes, I don't bother because there isn't enough of them to bring that bitterness to the foreground.
Be sure to roast fresh and very firm peppers. If they are soft to start with, the peeling may be a lot more difficult. The pictures below show a one-day harvest from my 2020 vegetable garden. That is the reason why there is such great variation in size and shape.
2020-10-11
Pic11-13: washing garden-fresh bell peppers
- Wash and rinse to remove dirt and bugs.
- Cut away damaged parts or discard the entire pepper.
Pic14-16: roasting
- Roast under the broiler or at in the oven at 380 ºF or higher.
- Turn the peppers until all sides have been blistered.
- Stack tightly in a cooking pot, cover with a lid and wrap in a towel to let the residual heat cook the peppers further. (Pic16)
- Remove the core with seeds and peel the peppers.
- Refrigerate or freeze for later use.
chile peppers
YES. Always for personal use.
Store-bought frozen chopped chile has not normally been roasted and peeled. I found that stewing the chile for an hour or more seems to reduce the bitterness somewhat. A spoonful of sugar can mask the residual bitterness and make the peppers more pleasant to consume.
See: roasting and peeling chile peppers.
jalapeno / serrano a.o. small peppers
Nope, don't bother.
I sometimes will roast them, but the sweet mini peppers are too small for peeling, too much work for too little result. Also, jalapeno and serrano peppers are too hot to use in large quantities, so for those it won't matter anyway.