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    Home / Main Courses / Entrees

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    Padron Pepper and Goat Cheese Tacos

    By Alanna Taylor-Tobin on Aug 30, 2013 (updated Feb 4, 2020) / 22 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    delicious Padron Pepper and Goat Cheese Tacos

    Padron peppers are one of my favorite savory summer treats. They're bite-sized, full of flavor, and easy to cook. They aren't sweet like bell peppers, and, though they resemble spicy peppers, they're not.

    bowl of padron peppers

    At least, most of them aren't. A friend calls them "roulette peppers" because they say that one pepper out of every ten is hot. I've found that this varies from batch to batch, probably based on their growing conditions. Lately we've been finding baskets that have no heat whatsoever, whereas peppers from a different farm seem to be mostly (unbearably) spicy. Being the wimp that I am, I go out of my way to get the mild ones, but Jay likes living on the edge with the spicy surprises.

    padron peppers

    Either way, padrons need nothing more than a quick saute in olive oil until blistered and beginning to collapse, then a sprinkle of salt, and voilà. You can just eat them like popcorn for a simply stunning appetizer.

    padron peppers cooking in a skillet

    I can't quite explain what I find so thoroughly addicting about these peppers, but I do know I'm not the only one who goes absolutely bonkers for them.

    two tacos on a dish

    Yes, our cat is inexplicably obsessed with padron peppers. I guess it runs in the family.

    peppers in a sieve

    When we're feeling virtuous, we'll make a meal of a big bowl of cooked padrons and one of Jay's masterpiece salads. But for something more substantial, I've been adding them to warm tortillas piled high with taco fixings.

    padron peppers in a skillet

    I up the goo factor with soft goat cheese, slices of ripe avocado, and cilantro lime crema. Diced tomatoes add color, sweetness and acidity. Sprinkling the diced tomatoes with salt and giving them a quick drain keeps the tacos from becoming soggy from their juices.

    row of Padron Pepper and Goat Cheese Tacos

    Slices of sweet red onion add crunch and a bit of heat. I've been in love with smoked salt lately (why have I only just discovered it?!), and here it adds depth and dimension for us deprived, grill-less city slickers with only a 1-square-foot fire escape's worth of outdoor space.

    top down shot of Padron Pepper and Goat Cheese Tacos

    That is to say, should you be so lucky to roast your padrons over an open flame, you'll get a nice smokiness that way. If not, be like me and fake it with smoky salt. Even with all of those fixings, the flavor of the peppers still comes through.

    two tacos on a plate

    Jay swears that these are his favorite tacos, ever. At least we agree on that.

    hand holding taco

    More Veggie Loaded Recipes:

    • Toasted Pan Bagnat with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Arugula
    • Roasted Eggplant, Chickpea, and Summer Vegetable Tagine
    • Roasted Tiny Eggplant with Muhammara and Feta
    • Roasted Summer Vegetable Caponata

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this padron peppers taco recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

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    Padron Pepper and Goat Cheese Tacos with Smoked Salt and Cilantro Lime Crema

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    These vegetarian tacos are packed full of flavor.
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 6" tacos, 2 servings.

    Ingredients

    • 2 small tomatoes
    • salt, as needed
    • 1/3 cup sour cream
    • 2-3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus a few leaves for garnish
    • juice of half a lime
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 pint basket padron peppers
    • a few pinches of smoked sea salt
    • 4 (6-inch) corn tortillas (or a corn/wheat blend)
    • 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
    • 1 medium-sized ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
    • several paper-thin slivers from a red onion
    • lime wedges

    Instructions

    • Dice the tomatoes, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let drain in a sieve while you get on with the recipe.
    • In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and a big pinch of salt. Taste, adding more lime or salt if you like. Set aside, or cover and chill for up to a day or two.
    • Use a pair of scissors to cut the stems off the peppers (their crowns are edible). Rinse the peppers and drain them well. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 10" cast iron skillet set over a medium flame until it shimmers. Add the peppers and cook, tossing occasionally, until blistered all over and blackened in places, about 5 minutes. They will pop and spit; lower the temperature if things are getting too crazy. Sprinkle with a few pinches of the smoked salt.
    • In another skillet, warm the tortillas on both sides until soft and pliable. Place the tortillas on a couple of plates, and build the tacos. I like the following order:
      goat cheese
      avocado slices
      diced tomato
      sliced onion
      cilantro lime crema
      padron peppers
    • Top with a sprinkle of smoked salt and a few cilantro leaves. Serve immediately, with lime wedges for squeezing over the tops.

    Notes

    Look for padron peppers at farmer's markets or fancy foodie stores throughout the late summer. If you're sensitive to spice, fry up a batch on their own first to test them out. Peppers from the same farm tend to have the same ratio of hot to mild peppers. If you get a hot one, you can spit it out; but if it's in your taco, you'll be stuck eating it.
    Have all your other ingredients ready before frying the peppers so that they stay warm; they only take a few minutes to cook. For the tomatoes, I like to use one dry-farmed red, and one heirloom yellow; you may not need to use all the tomatoes. Be sure to drink the delicious juice they let off.
    It pays to seek out good corn tortillas; I like the corn-wheat hybrids for their pliable texture.
    Nutritional values are based on one of four tacos.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 287kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 7gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 105mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 8gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1305IUVitamin C: 116.6mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1.5mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Padron Pepper and Goat Cheese Tacos with Smoked Salt and Cilantro Lime Crema

    Look for padron peppers at farmer's markets or fancy foodie stores throughout the late summer. If you're sensitive to spice, fry up a batch on their own first to test them out. Peppers from the same farm tend to have the same ratio of hot to mild peppers. If you get a hot one, you can spit it out; but if it's in your taco, you'll be stuck eating it.

    Have all your other ingredients ready before frying the peppers so that they stay warm; they only take a few minutes to cook. For the tomatoes, I like to use one dry-farmed red, and one heirloom yellow; you may not need to use all the tomatoes. Be sure to drink the delicious juice they let off. It pays to seek out good corn tortillas; I like the corn-wheat hybrids for their pliable texture.

    Makes four 6" tacos, 2 servings

    2 small tomatoes
    salt, as needed
    1/3 cup sour cream
    2-3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, plus a few leaves for garnish
    juice of half a lime
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 pint basket padron peppers
    a few pinches of smoked sea salt
    4 (6-inch) corn tortillas (or a corn/wheat blend)
    2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
    1 medium-sized ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and sliced
    several paper-thin slivers from a red onion
    lime wedges

    Dice the tomatoes, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let drain in a sieve while you get on with the recipe.

    In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and a big pinch of salt. Taste, adding more lime or salt if you like. Set aside, or cover and chill for up to a day or two.

    Use a pair of scissors to cut the stems off the peppers (their crowns are edible). Rinse the peppers and drain them well. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 10" cast iron skillet set over a medium flame until it shimmers. Add the peppers and cook, tossing occasionally, until blistered all over and blackened in places, about 5 minutes. They will pop and spit; lower the temperature if things are getting too crazy. Sprinkle with a few pinches of the smoked salt.

    In another skillet, warm the tortillas on both sides until soft and pliable. Place the tortillas on a couple of plates, and build the tacos. I like the following order:

    goat cheese
    avocado slices
    diced tomato
    sliced onion
    cilantro lime crema
    padron peppers

    Top with a sprinkle of smoked salt and a few cilantro leaves. Serve immediately, with lime wedges for squeezing over the tops.

    Padron Pepper and Goat Cheese Tacos on a plate

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dana says

      August 31, 2013 at 4:24 pm

      Those look absolutely scrumptious! I've often enjoyed those little peppers (and their random spice attacks) but not in a taco like this. Hoping to try it.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 02, 2013 at 7:47 am

        Spice attacks! Totally. I hope you try the tacos, too. Thanks for the kind comment!

        Reply
    2. cheri says

      August 31, 2013 at 7:47 pm

      Sounds amazing. We've been gorging ourselves on Padrones for the last month or so. Can't get enough of them. Your recipes are so interesting and flavorful. Thanks

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 02, 2013 at 7:48 am

        So have we! Thanks for the sweet compliment! :)

        Reply
    3. Sue/the view from great island says

      September 01, 2013 at 12:00 am

      This is fantastic, I remember hearing about these peppers from one of the farmer's at the market a while ago. I really like the idea of eating them roasted, just as is, for an appetizer. I'll have to hunt them down next week.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 02, 2013 at 7:49 am

        Thank you, Sue! Yes, I highly recommend trying padrons on their own first - they're pretty much the perfect food. :)

        Reply
    4. Amy @ Swiss Miss in the Kitchen says

      September 01, 2013 at 7:33 pm

      This looks soooo good Alanna!!! Perfect late summer dish :)

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 02, 2013 at 7:50 am

        Aw! Thank you, Amy! :)

        Reply
    5. Asha Shivakumar says

      September 02, 2013 at 6:56 pm

      This is a gorgeous and healthy taco! I've never tried pepper this way, a must try.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 08, 2013 at 4:27 pm

        Yes, they are so good! This recipe works with sweet peppers, too.

        Reply
    6. Monet says

      September 02, 2013 at 9:54 pm

      Oh Alanna, these look beautiful! I love tacos (we used to live in Austin) and I'm always eager for new flavor combos. I've never tried these peppers before, and I must find them...soon! Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 08, 2013 at 4:29 pm

        I think you will fall in love with padron peppers when you try them! They've definitely become easier to find around here in the last few years - hopefully this will extend to the rest of the U.S. Thanks for the sweet words, Monet. :)

        Reply
    7. Cindy says

      September 08, 2013 at 2:56 pm

      Padron peppers are SO good. I have never been able to find them, but have definitely ordered them out any time I spot them on a menu. Tacofying them is simply genius...basically any food made into a taco is a good idea.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 08, 2013 at 4:30 pm

        Yes, tacofication! Given that principal, it's oddly hard to find interesting (vegetarian) tacos, even in San Francisco. Hope you can find some padrons to play with!

        Reply
    8. Megan G says

      September 14, 2013 at 4:09 am

      LOVE this recipe! I was introduced to padrons last summer and can't get enough of them! I grew nine plants this year and have a feast of them each weekend. A friend turned me on to your recipe and my mom made it before I had a chance to... they were amazing! I'm giving them a shot tomorrow night and can't wait! Great recipe!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        September 14, 2013 at 6:31 am

        Wow, you grow, girl! ;) I'm SO glad you like the tacos! Thanks for sweet and lovely note.

        Reply
    9. Katherine says

      October 11, 2014 at 5:00 pm

      Holy bejebus! And how did I miss this recipe before? The padrons look like shishitos. I guess I will add peppers back to my garden next year.

      Will report back when I've actually made this delicousness.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        October 11, 2014 at 5:39 pm

        Thanks Katherine! You could totes use shishitos here in place of padrons. Lucky you and your garden! :)

        Reply
    10. Anonymous says

      June 30, 2015 at 9:15 pm

      These are so yummy! I cheat and mix salsa with sour cream and squirt lime on top!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        July 01, 2015 at 1:33 am

        Aw, yum! Make me one please. :)

        Reply
    11. Alice says

      July 14, 2015 at 7:22 pm

      I got some padron peppers in a veg box today. I've never eaten them before, so I made these because they looked awesome. They were amazing! Will definitely be having them again :D cheers!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        July 16, 2015 at 1:18 am

        Yay! I'm so glad you liked 'em. I just made padron burritos for lunch today. I love those little guys!

        Reply

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