I first tried stuffed jalapeños poppers when I worked for an American company back in Scotland and I have missed them since. Apart from pickled, sliced jalapeños in jars, jalapeños aren’t that easy to find in bulk in Britain. I was amazed that you could get a pound of fresh jalapeños for about $1 in the supermarkets here is Texas. So started my quest to make my own version of jalapeños poppers.
Most jalapeños poppers are dipped in batter or breadcrumbs and deep fried, similar to chile rellenos, the Mexican dish from which they are probably derived from. Since I don’t own a deep fryer, I looked at how I could make something just as tasty without the frying. I settled on just stuffing the chillies and baking in them in the oven.
The first step in the process is to hollow out the inside of the jalapeño. The easiest way I have found, it to cut off the stalk end, and then using a filleting knife, or long, narrow bladed knife cut out the insides and discard. Jalapeños are only about 2500 on the Scolville scale, which is pretty mild, but occasionally, depending on the growing conditions, they can be pretty hot. It is common mistake thinking that the seeds of a chili pepper are the hottest part, but in fact the placenta (the white ribs) is the hottest part, and the seeds are only hot because they have been in contact with ribs. Depending on how hot you want your jalapeños poppers, depends on how careful you are in removing the white ribs.
Coring a jalapeno
Ingredients
- 24 fresh jalapeños
- 8oz (235g) of cream cheese e.g.Philadelphia
- bunch of cilantro (fresh coriander), chopped
- juice from a lime
- 4oz (115g) of corn kernels (optional)
- 1 tsp of garlic powder
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Cut off the stalk end of the jalapeños, remove the insides and discard. Mix together the cream cheese, lime juice, cilantro, garlic powder, corn and then season to taste. Using a small spoon, stuff the mixture into each jalapeños, using the handle to help stuff it to the bottom. Place the chillies, end up into a wire grate or a specialized jalapeño grill rack. Bake in a 200C (400F) oven for 25-35 mins. Enjoy hot or cold, on their own, or with a dipping sauce such as ranch.
Jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese
Stuffed Jalapenos Poppers Alternatives
- Wrap them in bacon
- Cook on the barbeque, but be careful not to burn them
- Deep dry them. Cut the jalapeños in half, but leave the steam attached, remove the ribs, fill each half with a cream cheese, join back together, dip them in an egg wash and then breadcrumbs to cook. Deep fry until golden brown.
- Make ‘armadillo eggs’. Take a section of jalapeño, topped with cream cheese and then wrap in sausage meat. The end result looks very similar to a Scotch egg.