Ten top chillies and how to eat them (2024)

Steve Waters from South Devon Chilli grows around 10,000 chilli plants a year, with over 20 varieties to choose from. He shares his 10 favourites, and tells us how to use them in our cooking.

It's National Chilli Day tomorrow (26th February) in the USA. It's an American 'holiday' referring to chilli con carne, but we think it's worth celebrating the plant. Some might think chilli peppers are all about heat and nothing else, but they have complex flavours waiting to be released through careful cooking.

Steve Waters, co-founder of South Devon Chilli Farm and all-round chilli expert, gives us the low-down on ten of his best-selling fresh chillies, all of which can be grown in the UK. Look out for their ‘heat level’, which is based on the deadly Scoville scale.

Pimientos de Padron

Origin: Spain
Heat level: 0 (or is it?)
Colour: Ripens from green to red
Dimensions: 10cm long

"Without fail, this is the first chilli we are asked about every year: 'When will they be ready?'

"This Spanish delicacy is often served in tapas bars, and is very quick to cook. The fruits are picked when immature (about 5cm long) and green (at about a quarter of their full size), and are usually fried in a little olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt before serving. Tradition says that one in 30 is unusually hot!"

Ancho Poblano

Origin: Mexico
Heat level: 1
Colour: Ripens from green to red
Dimensions: 12cm long and 8cm wide

"A large, broad fruit tapering to a point, with a mild heat. It’s revered for its quality as a stuffing pepper, perfect for filling with meat, cheese, rice or vegetables. Ancho Poblano peppers are traditionally cooked to enhance their sweetness and flavour.

These chillies can also be skinned, stuffed, covered in an egg and flour batter, and then shallow fried to make a traditional Mexican dish known as ‘Rellenos’."

Anaheim

Origin: USA
Heat level: 2
Colour: Ripens from green to red
Dimensions: 15cm long and 4cm wide

"A classic, medium-heat chilli, also known as the California or New Mexico pepper. It’s traditionally used green and skinned, then either stuffed, battered or used as a base for salsa or mole sauce.

"A great tip for skinning chillies is to char the whole surface and then allow the chilli to sweat in a sealed bag for ten minutes – the skin should then come off easily."

Hungarian Hot Wax

Origin: Hungary
Heat level: 3
Colour: Ripens from a yellow/green to an orange/red
Dimensions: 14cm long and 3cm wide
"This Hungarian variety has fleshy fruits with a sweetcorn flavour, and is great for chopping coarsely into salads and for stuffing with cheese. They are also fantastic cooked on a BBQ; simply skin them before serving as a side vegetable. Typically this variety is cooked when unripe."

Santa Fe Grande

Origin: USA
Heat level: 4
Colour: Ripens from pale yellow to deep orange
Dimensions: 8cm long and 3cm wide

"This chilli variety has thick and fleshy fruits, with a fabulous melon flavour, perfect for using in salsas. It’s also a great choice for pickling and adds another dimension to dishes such as nachos and pizza."

Cherry Bomb

Origin: USA
Heat level: 5
Colour: Ripens from dark green to bright red
Dimensions: 4cm round

"The very tip of this chilli variety actually tastes like cherry! It’s beautiful when ripe, with a dazzlingly bright red skin and thick, juicy flesh. It’s very popular for making fresh salsa and grilling with a cheese filling."

Serrano

Origin: Mexico
Heat level: 6
Colour: Ripens from green to red
Dimensions: 6cm long and 1cm wide

"Serrano is widely used to make salsas and hot sauces, and is a hotter alternative to the Jalapeno chilli.

"Introduce heat to salsas and hot dishes by adding some finely chopped Serrano."

Aji Limon

Origin: Peru
Heat level: 7
Colour: Ripens from green to yellow
Dimensions: 8cm long and 1.5cm wide

"A very unusual chilli which isn’t normally available in the UK. When fresh, this chilli looks and tastes like a slice of lemon. Chopped finely it adds colour, flavour and heat to fresh salsa and cooked dishes, and is delicious with chicken and fish dishes."

Ring of Fire

Origin: India
Heat level: 8
Colour: Ripens from green to red
Dimensions: 9cm long and 1cm wide

"A Cayenne-type chilli, ideal for adding colour and heat to curries and other hot dishes.

It’s also good for home-made chutneys and pickles."

Orange Habanero

Origin: Mexico/Caribbean
Heat level: 9
Colour: Ripens from green to orange
Dimensions: 5cm long and 3cm wide

"The Habanero is the king of chillies – very, very hot with a superb tropical fruit flavour. This wonderful variety is perfect for cooking Mexican and Caribbean hot dishes but chop very finely and remember to wash your hands!"

If you're looking to grow their own chillies, South Devon Chilli Farm sells over 50 varieties of chilli seeds and a wide selection of mail-order chilli seedlings and plants; and there are also preserves, sauces and fiery chilli chocolate on sale too.

Typically, the chilli-growing season runs from the last week in June to the last week in November, and everything is produced without the use of herbicides or pesticides. To find out more, visit southdevonchillifarm.co.uk.

This is a classic Lovefood article that has been updated

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