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serrano

Serrano Chile

Mexican cooking authority Diana Kennedy has said that the Serrano chile has the shape of a bullet. One could say that it tastes like one too! Serranos are spicy. However, as with most chiles, you can pump down the heat by removing the seeds and veins.

They have, like the Jalapeños, a dark and deep green color, shinny skin and a small and thin stem.  However, Serranos tend to be on the smaller side and are much thinner and appear longer.

It seems to me, Serranos have a fuller and more flagrant flavor than the Jalapeños. Don’t buy them if the have wrinkled skin or brown or black spots.

serrano 1

Comments

3comments inSerrano Chile

  1. Meg

    Feb 06

    I tend to use serranos instead of Jalapenos — I like the flavor a bit better. Also, the flavor and heat are more dependable than jalapenos I find in my grocery store. Some jalapenos are stinkin’ hot and others are incredibly mild, and sometimes, it’s just not worth burning myself in order to find out.

    1. Ken

      May 02

      One little tip I can add is that most hotpeppers have a tendency to get little dried up creases along their length, this is a sign of the pepper being past it’s “best before date”. I only use those if I want a screaming hot pepper, which is rare.

      1. Pati Jinich

        May 04

        Thanks for sharing Ken 😉

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