To roast and peel green chiles, cut a small slit in each chile, then blister the skins under a hot broiler, over a gas flame or on a grill, turning them until the skin is puffed and charred in patches all over. Cover them with a damp towel for a few minutes so the steam loosens the skins, then peel the skin away with your fingers, pull off the stem, and scrape out the seeds on the board. Wear gloves. Freeze what you will not use this week.
In New Mexico, late summer smells of roasting chile. You do not need a propane drum on a parking lot to get the same result at home. A broiler and a sheet pan will do it.
Which chiles
The method works for any thick-walled green chile: New Mexico green chile (the type grown around Hatch and across the state), Anaheim, poblano, or a big bell pepper.
Choose chiles that are firm and glossy, with smooth, unwrinkled skin. Straight, flat chiles roast more evenly than twisted ones, because the whole surface reaches the heat.
Protect your hands
Capsaicin, the compound that makes chiles hot, clings to bare skin and can burn it, and it will find its way to your eyes the next time you rub them.
New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service recommends rubber gloves, or a thin layer of solid fat on your hands, when handling chile, and keeping your hands away from your eyes. If chile does burn your hands, its advice is to soak them in vinegar.
Thin disposable gloves are the easiest option. Put them on before you start peeling.
Step 1: Prepare the chiles
Rinse and dry the chiles. With the tip of a paring knife, cut a small slit, about half an inch, near the stem of each one. The slit lets steam escape so the chile does not burst in the heat.
Step 2: Blister the skins
The goal is not to cook the chiles through. It is to blister the skin so it can be pulled away from the flesh. Pick one method.
Under the broiler. Set the oven rack about four inches below the broiler and heat it to high. Lay the chiles in a single layer on a foil-lined sheet pan. Broil until the tops are blistered and blackened in patches, about five to eight minutes, then turn them with tongs and blister the other side. Watch them closely.
On a gas burner. Set a chile directly on the grate over a medium-high flame. Turn it with tongs as each side blisters. This is the most hands-on method and suits a few chiles at a time.
On a grill. Lay the chiles on the grate over hot coals or a hot gas grill and turn them until blistered all over. The Extension guidance gives about five to six inches above glowing coals as a guide.
In the oven. If your broiler is weak, roast them on a sheet pan in a very hot oven, 400 to 450°F, turning once, until the skins puff and blister.
Some charred black patches are fine. What you want is skin that has puffed away from the flesh all over the chile.
Step 3: Steam and cool
Take the chiles off the heat. For softer, more thoroughly cooked chiles, cover them with a damp kitchen towel, or put them in a bowl covered with a plate, and let them steam for a few minutes. The trapped steam loosens the skins further.
For crisper chiles, dip them in a bowl of ice water as they come off the heat instead.
If you buy chile roasted at a market, carry it home in a food-safe container. The Extension guidance warns against garbage bags, because heat can release chemicals from the plastic. At home, a bowl and a plate do the job.
Step 4: Peel on the board
Once the chiles are cool enough to handle, move them to the board.
- Peel. Starting at the stem end, pinch the loosened skin and pull it down toward the tip. It should come away in large sheets. Rub stubborn bits off with your thumb or scrape them off with the back of a knife.
- Remove the stem. Pull it off, or cut around it with a paring knife.
- Open the chile. Lay it flat and slit it lengthwise from top to tip, then open it like a book.
- Remove the seeds and veins. Scrape them out with the knife tip or your gloved fingers. The veins, the pale ribs inside, hold much of the heat; leave some in if you like it hot.
Resist rinsing the chiles under running water to get the skin off. It washes away flavor along with the char. A few flecks of black skin left on the chile add smoky flavor.
Keep a small bowl beside the board for skins, stems and seeds. Peeling is messy; working on a board keeps it in one place. Cleaning a board between ingredients covers how to reset the surface before you dice anything else on it.
Step 5: Use or freeze
Peeled chiles can be left whole for chiles rellenos, cut into strips, or chopped for stews, sauces, eggs and burgers. Refrigerate roasted chiles within two hours and use them within a few days.
For the winter, freeze them. The Extension guidance offers two ways:
- Unpeeled. Freeze the blistered chiles whole, skins on, in freezer bags with the air pressed out. Peeling is easier after freezing.
- Peeled. Slit, seed and devein the chiles, then pack them whole or chopped in bags or rigid containers, leaving half an inch of headspace.
Freeze at 0°F or below and use them within 12 months. Lay the bags flat in the freezer so air can move around them. Portion them in amounts you would use for one dish, so you thaw only what you need.
A pot of New Mexico red chile posole shows the other half of the state’s chile, and quick pickled red onions make a sharp topping for anything built on roasted chile.
Wash the board after chile
Chile oil clings to surfaces as well as hands. Wash the board with hot soapy water after peeling, rinse it, and dry it standing on edge. Wash your knife and remove your gloves last.
A board with a groove keeps the job tidy. The WONAMU. bamboo cutting board is 12 by 9 inches, room to open several chiles flat at once, and its perimeter juice groove catches the liquid that runs out of roasted chiles as you peel them.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the slit. Steam builds inside and the chile can burst.
- Under-blistering. If the skin has not puffed away, it will not peel.
- Rinsing off the skins. You lose the smoky flavor.
- Peeling bare-handed. The heat stays on your hands and ends up in your eyes.
- Freezing one huge bag. Freeze in single-dish portions.
The short version
Slit each chile near the stem. Blister the skins under a broiler, over a gas flame, on a grill or in a 400 to 450°F oven, turning until puffed and charred in patches.
Cover with a damp towel for a few minutes, or dip in ice water for crisper chiles. Peel the skin from stem to tip, pull off the stem, open the chile flat and scrape out the seeds. Wear gloves. Refrigerate within two hours, or freeze, peeled or unpeeled, for up to a year.
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WONAMU. makes a bamboo cutting board designed for daily prep, 12 × 9 inches, bamboo, with a perimeter juice groove. Available on Amazon.
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