Serrano peppers are small, hot peppers that are native to Mexico and widely used in Mexican cooking. They can be eaten raw or roasted, and are often used in salsa and guacamole. The heat level varies and should be tasted before using in large quantities. They can also be pickled and used as a snack.
A chili pepper is a hot pepper native to the Puebla region of Mexico, where it grows in the foothills and mountains; it is also widely grown for commercial sale. Peppers are usually small in size and are green while growing, but eventually ripen into a red, yellow or orange fruit. In general, a serrano pepper has a higher level of spice heat than a jalapeno pepper although, like all peppers, the amount of heat can vary greatly depending on the weather, soil conditions, and specific cultivars. When used in Mexican cooking, serrano peppers are often used raw in fresh dishes such as salsa and guacamole. They can also be roasted for use in cooked dishes or pickled to make a food known as sport peppers, although serranos are not usually dried because they contain a significant amount of moisture.
An important aspect of a serrano pepper, as with all peppers, is that the amount of heat contained in the pepper’s ribs will vary based on a variety of factors. In comparison to a jalapeno pepper, the serrano can be just as hot or up to four times hotter when eaten. There’s really no way to test the heat of an individual pepper other than to taste it, which should be done before using large quantities of peppers in a dish where too much heat could ruin the flavor. Cooking serrano chiles can help extract more heat over time, though it will also lessen the light, crisp taste.
One popular use for a serrano pepper is as a hot ingredient in salsa fresh. A salsa is a combination of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices like coriander. The fresh taste and crunchy texture of a serrano pepper adds bite and flavor to the salsa. The skin of the pepper is much thinner than that of many other varieties, so they can easily be diced and added directly to sauce without the need for roasting to remove the skin.
A serrano pepper can also be pickled, either to preserve some of the pepper’s freshness or to create a snack. The peppers are usually marinated in a brine of water, vinegar, salt and sugar that has been flavored with black pepper, garlic, cumin and coriander. The pickling can take about a week to finish and the pickled peppers will keep for a few months when refrigerated.
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