Using up an unexpected jalapeno harvest with green chile crisp

September 6, 2024 2:59 PM

I unexpectedly was given about 15 fresh jalapenos. I don't usually eat jalapenos except for once in a while I'll add some pickled slices to nachos or tacos. Aside from pickling some of the harvest, what are some other ways to use them up? One idea that is very intriguing to me is using fresh jalapenos to make a green chile crisp.

My Googling has not turned up any recipes for this, so just curious if there are any recipes or suggestions anyone has for a chile crisp that would would have a flavor profile that goes well with jalapenos. I did come across Don Chilio Jalapeno Chile Crisp available for sale, so apparently this is a thing!

I'm also interested in trying to make a fermented sauce (something I've never done before).

I like a little spice but I can't do anything super hot.

Open to any suggestions! I'd prefer not to just dehydrate them or freeze them because I'm very unlikely to use them up that way. I'd rather turn them into something like a sauce or condiment.

posted by forkisbetter to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

I really like candied jalepeños AKA "cowboy candy". Here's one recipe: https://www.thechunkychef.com/candied-jalapenos/. Here's another: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/desserts/sweet-candied-jalapeno-peppers/

You can certainly include garlic and celery seed as called for in that first recipe, but they're also very good with just the sugar-vinegar syrup + turmeric. You could probably even skip the turmeric, honestly, but I like it. A little powdered ginger is also a nice option, as called for in the second recipe. Anyway, the candying mellows the spice out a fair amount and they're really nice on a sandwich, great with cream cheese on crackers or a bagel, or on eggs, or on a rice bowl... whatever.
posted by redfoxtail at 4:23 PM on September 6 [1 favorite]

To make a chili crisp you'd need to dehydrate the jalapeños. Which I suppose you could do by cooking them in the oil until they stop bubbling. But if you have a dehydrator or an oven with a dehydrate function, that would probably be better.
posted by slkinsey at 4:43 PM on September 6 [1 favorite]

Chile and cheese omelette
Jalapeno cornbread
Roasted corn and tomato with Jalapeño relish
Jalapeños stuffed with tuna
Jalapeños stuffed with cheese

Zoug sauce: Jalapenos and cilantro based sauce
posted by effluvia at 5:12 PM on September 6

Not a condiment but a very easy way to use up some fresh jalapenos is to make a stuffed appetizer - baking really chills the heat out. Super easy, we do it when camping all the time in foil, and in the oven is also fine:

1. Halve jalapenos and remove all seeds and pith - leave stems/ends
2. Fill each with cream cheese (or try hummus, anything you think might work)
3. Sprinkle top with cheddar, parmesan, or some other dry cheese that burns well
4. Stick in the oven at perhaps 325 for 15-20 minutes

Done!

Alternatively, you can skip the halving, take off the top and scoop out the seeds, then stuff them through the hole. Wrap in foil and bake at 275 for 50-60 minutes. This helps cook out some of the spice.

You can also toss the unfilled peppers in a frying pan on high with some oil to crisp up the outsides first.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 5:15 PM on September 6 [1 favorite]

You should make some fridge pickles and freeze the rest. Once frozen, you can use them in basically anything as long as the pepper’s texture doesn’t matter. That includes frying, fermenting, sauces, even sautéing up with some sweet onions. Since you don’t want very much spicy, de-seed and rough chop before freezing. It will save a lot of room and give you a better idea of how much you actually have.

I don’t like jalapeños flavor-wise. For me, it’s poblano and then Anaheim for the best green chili flavors. But I do think that if you must use jalapeños they are best paired with tomatillos. This fermented salsa verde recipe would be a good thing to try. I’ve made something similar before and it was great, the difference was I used about equal volume tomatillos and jalapeños, more garlic, and cumin. Tomatillos have a bright fruity flavor that I think jalapeños really lack. Fermenting them makes it a lot more harmonious and rounds out the flavor.
posted by Mizu at 5:16 PM on September 6

I Googled "green chile crisp" and this is my first result. It includes jalapenos.
posted by NotLost at 9:07 PM on September 6

I'd make a pepper jelly! It's so good, and not very spicy. Mix with cream cheese and spread on crackers for an amazing snack. Sample recipe here, but I haven't vetted it.
posted by hydra77 at 6:32 AM on September 7

Three times this summer, I've made this sauce/dip to use with freshly grilled (or steamed) shrimp or (even better) lobster. It's really incredible and uses up a few jalapenos.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:13 AM on September 7