Serrano Paste

"I learned this from a friend at work, Leo, whose wife made this fresh every week. This is for the true chile head. A good taste, you don't need a lot of this to set your tongue on fire."
 
Download
photo by Linajjac photo by Linajjac
photo by Linajjac
Ready In:
15mins
Ingredients:
5
Serves:
10
Advertisement

ingredients

  • 10 serrano peppers, whole
  • 1 small white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed (not head)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • water (a little)
Advertisement

directions

  • Cook the Serranos in a cast iron skillet on high heat or under the oven broiler until the skin is brown on the outside, turning occasionally, but do not burn.
  • (Beware the fumes) Add the rest of the ingredients and grind in a mortar and pestle (or use food processor) until it is thick and pasty.
  • Use water to bring to spreadable, pasty consistency.
  • Enjoy on tacos, or add to soups.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!
Advertisement

Reviews

  1. You are right! This packs some pure fire power and is not for the faint of tounge! The only foolish thing I did was not to buy more chile. This will not last long in my house. This is a keeper. I will forever remember you every time I make this. Thank you.
     
  2. VERY nice recipe. Had dozens of serranos. Grew them in my garden. Didn't know what to do with them. Saw this recipe. Perfect solution! Used my outside grill cuz did similar recipes with habernaros inside ("tear gas city" LOL). The mortar and pestle worked great!) Took the serranos out of the skillet, then added a tad of olive oil. Sauteed garlic and onions just for a minute. Hint: the recipe called for 10 serranos, but they vary from 1-4 inches. Mine averaged like 2 inches, so I used 15 instead of 10. Great job TJW!
     
  3. I’ve been making this for so many years. It’s good on almost everything. I put some on my toasted cheese sandwich a few days ago. Sometimes I’ll add a zest of lime & juice. Thanks!
     
  4. I didn't expect this to have much flavor due to the limited ingredients but it is delicious. I roasted and sweated my serranos then opened them and rinsed out the seeds to make it a little less hot. This is really good on fish tacos. I mix it with the dressing for the slaw or if I am using seared ahi instead of fried fish, I put it right on the fish and serve it with a fresh lime wedge thinly chopped red cabbage and chopped cilantro.
     
Advertisement

Tweaks

  1. I roasted and seeded the peppers.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I have lived in many exciting places including Hawaii, Nothern and Southern California, Colorado, Oklahoma(ok, not so exciting), Dijon, France, and now reside in Southern Germany with my wife, who is German. I started to grow chiles about 4 years ago because we just can't get jalapenos, serranos, habs, anaheims, and poblanos here. Now my balcony is full of chile plants. I studied French at the Uni, and expected to marry a French gal, but as fate would have it, I met and fell in love with a German gal. So, now I live in Germany, and have picked up a third language, and love living here and am very happy. I am working on an MBA, and teaching English as a Second Language, and selling chiles, homemade ristras, and homemade chile marmalades to help finance the MBA. I am trying to open the German's eyes so they realize there are more than just green and red chiles in the world. I started cooking while serving at a Mexican resataurant in Sacramento, Ca., and have enjoyed it ever since. My love of spicy food goes back twenty years. It started with black pepper, and over the years has worked itself into a passion for chiles, and all that is spicy. You may notice I always give four or five stars. That is because I only bother rating a recipe if it is worth four or five, and if I will be making it again, and or often.
 
View Full Profile
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Find More Recipes