Fermented Jalapenos

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Now that the summer is over, the next ferment on my “to do” list is fermented jalapenos or as some people call them “pickled jalapeno peppers”. It is a great way to preserve my summer harvest and save all my fresh jalapeno’s leftovers.

Making Lacto-fermented jalapenos is so easy! The process is the same as making fermented vegetables or fermented carrot sticks. The only difference is that you get that nice heat of the jalapenos with the tanginess of the fermentation process.

How to make pickled jalapenos or how to make fermented jalapenos?

As you surely know the difference between pickling and fermenting is the use of salt instead of vinegar. By using salt to ferment jalapenos, you are creating an environment that helps only good bacteria to grow. On the other hand, when using vinegar to make pickled jalapenos you get that sour taste from the vinegar, but you kill that good bacteria that we love so much in fermentation.

How spices are Jalapeño peppers?

On my fermented hot sauce recipe, I gave a table of types of peppers and their level of heat.

• Jalapeno is 2,500-9,000 SHU
• Habanero: 100,000-500,000 SHU
• Bhut Jolokia (also called Ghost Pepper): 1,001,304 SHU

When choosing jalapenos to ferment, how can you know if they are spicy or mellow?

Rule of thumb, At the beginning of the summer the jalapenos are young, and their flavor is milder. In contrast, at the end of the summer, the jalapenos are older, and the peppers are with more heat. You can recognize an older jalapeno by the skin that looks duller and less glossy.

Because these peppers are so hot, you should make sure you protect your hands when working with hot peppers. Try using latex safety gloves for chopping the hot peppers.

How to use Fermented Jalapeno Peppers

Lacto-fermented peppers can be used in many ways. Spicy, fermented jalapeños go with nearly everything:

• I love adding jalapeno pickles to my Mexican food
• Pizza- Add fermented jalapeños to a pizza as a topping.
• Burgers- stuff a burger with fermented jalapeños peppers to give it a nice tangy heat.
• Sandwich- Same as with burgers, fermented jalapenos will live up to your sandwich.
• Mac & Cheese- Add to Mac & Cheese some fermented jalapenos peppers.
• Hot sauce- Blend the fermented peppers with a bit of the fermenting liquid until smooth for a hot pepper sauce.

Fermented jalapenos recipe

Ingredients

• jalapenos
• water
• salt
• Glass Jar

Instructions

1. Transfer the fresh jalapenos into a glass jar.
2. Place the jar (with the fresh jalapenos inside) on the digital weight and reset the weight.
3. Add 3% kosher salt (3g of salt per 100g of water) to the jar.
4. Leave 3-5cm of space between the lip of jar and brine. Place a weighting stone.
5. Close the jar tightly with a fermentation kit (if using) and set aside for 5-7 days. If you are not using a fermentation kit, in the first three days, a pressure of 2CO is created inside and it is recommended to open and release the pressure twice a day.
6. After a few days of fermentation, the peppers will begin to change color from vibrant green to a dull green. You will also have a cloudy brine, it is ok.

Note: I recommend that you save the leftover brine. After finishing the peppers, you can strain the brine and keep it for salad dressings. It will have a gentle burn that tastes great in your salad dressing.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like these too:

• Homemade red wine vinegar
• Lacto fermented beets
• Lacto Fermented Mushrooms