Pan-fried Padrón peppers with pikantost dip (Danish spiced cream cheese) – an easy snack with chilli and a creamy dip.
These pan-fried Padrón peppers are everything a good snack should be: crisp, a little spicy – and completely irresistible once they are dipped in a creamy pikantost dip.
Jes and I were served them as an appetiser at Restaurant Sandy’s in Falkenberg, and we both agreed that I had to go home and make them myself – so simple and so good.
The peppers are fried quickly in a pan with a little oil, so the skins blister lightly while the peppers keep their bite, crunch and freshness. The dip is made with just 3 ingredients – pikantost, crème fraîche and chives – and tastes far better than it has any right to – a little touch of luxury that is ready in no time.
Serve it all as an appetiser, a snack with wine or a small starter, where the Padrón peppers can either be dipped directly, or – as here – stood upright in the dip before serving, so all anyone has to do is pluck one out and enjoy.
Perfect for guests, relaxed summer evenings or as “that little something extra” with a glass of cold white wine.
Can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Padrón peppers with spiced cream cheese dip and chilli
Ingredients
- 200 g Padrón peppers
- 150 g pikantost (Danish spiced cream cheese) a soft cream cheese flavoured with paprika and onion; another flavoured soft cheese, e.g. garlic and herb, can stand in
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt (or crème fraîche)
- 3 tbsp chives, finely chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- Flaky sea salt
- Chilli flakes
Method
- Rinse your Padrón peppers and dry them completely.
- Heat a frying pan with a splash of oil and fry the peppers over a high heat for 1-2 minutes, tossing them as you go. They must not go soft.My hob is set to 8 out of 9.
- Turn off the heat, season with flaky salt and chilli flakes and set the peppers aside on a little kitchen paper to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, stir together the pikantost, Greek yoghurt and chives and season with freshly ground pepper.
- Spread the cheese mixture over the base of 1-2 shallow bowls – it should come a couple of centimetres up the sides.
- Stand the cooled Padrón peppers upright in the dip, sprinkle with a little extra chilli flakes and serve.
Nutrition
Premium
