The number of peppers available for human consumption can be overwhelming. Many are widely offered at supermarkets, like jalapeños, serranos, fresnos, and habaneros, and it can be difficult to know how mild or spicy any given pepper is. Then there are the various types of dried peppers that have different names than their fresh counterparts. A large, delicious, and reliable pepper known as poblano is among our favorites, but it takes a bit of work to enjoy them at their best.
When working with poblano peppers, it’s important to char and remove the skin to avoid any bitter flavors. One of the easiest, hands-off ways to do this is to roast the peppers on a tray in the oven at a high temperature, usually 425 degrees Fahrenheit, or under the broiler, flipping once or twice to ensure even charring.
After the skin has charred to mostly black all over, remove the peppers from the oven and place them in either a gallon zip-top bag and close or in a bowl and cover the top to seal with plastic wrap followed by a kitchen towel on top. This step lets the peppers steam to further release the skin from the flesh of the peppers, which will make removing the charred skin easier. Let the roasted poblanos steam for at least 10 minutes before removing the first pepper from the bag or bowl.
Preparing your roasted poblanos for your favorite recipes
Working one at a time so the other peppers can continue steaming, use a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to gently wipe the charred skin from the roasted peppers. You may find that rinsing the peppers under a bit of water helps to remove the last of the black flakes. From here, if needed, you can cut a slit in each pepper and gently remove the core and seeds with your fingers. Water helps to remove the last of the seeds as well, but be sure to dry the peppers thoroughly before moving on.
For those who prefer not to use the oven to prepare poblanos, you can char the skin directly in the flames of your stove burner, but be aware that this method takes a watchful eye and can sometimes fill your kitchen or home with fumes and smoke. Another option, perfect for warmer weather, is to char poblano peppers on an outdoor grill. If using a grill to char and remove the skin, keep the grill hot afterward because it’s the best way to cook stuffed poblano peppers, like this picadillo-stuffed poblano peppers recipe.
A classic way to use roasted poblanos is in rajas on crema, which makes a great topping for steak with rice and beans or can simply be eaten with tortillas as a taco. For something cozier, try our charred corn and poblano soup recipe. If you’re interested in trying a recipe that uses roasted poblanos but are timid about their possible heat, Anaheim peppers are perfect for mild palates and can be easily swapped for poblanos in recipes like chile relleno.
