The jalapeño is a thick-walled, medium-hot Capsicum annuum chilli from Mexico, eaten green, pickled or stuffed, and smoke-dried when ripe and red to make chipotle.
What it is¶
The jalapeño is a Capsicum annuum chilli about 5–9 cm long, blunt-tipped and plump, with thick, juicy walls. Most are picked and sold green; left on the plant they ripen through near-black to bright red, becoming sweeter and a little hotter. Mature pods often develop fine tan cracks on the skin, called corking or checking. In Mexico these are a sign of an older, hotter fruit; export markets tend to prefer smooth skins.
At 2,500–8,000 SHU, the jalapeño is the benchmark medium chilli, noticeably hot for many people but mild next to a serrano or bird's eye. Modern breeding has produced very mild varieties for the mass market, so supermarket jalapeños can be disappointingly tame. When ripe red jalapeños are smoke-dried they become chipotle.
Origins and history¶
The name means "from Xalapa" (also spelled Jalapa), the capital of the state of Veracruz, where the chilli was traditionally traded, though it is now grown much more widely, with the northern state of Chihuahua a major producer. Chillies of this type have been grown in Mexico since long before the Spanish conquest, and the smoked form, chilpoctli in Nahuatl, was known to the Aztecs.
The jalapeño became an American staple in the second half of the twentieth century through Tex-Mex food: nachos, jalapeño poppers and pickled slices on everything from burgers to pizza. Texas A&M University bred a famously mild variety, TAM Mild Jalapeño, released in 1981, part of a wider trend towards gentler jalapeños for processing.
Flavour and aroma¶
Green jalapeños taste bright, grassy and vegetal, very like a hot green bell pepper, with a juicy crunch. The heat is moderate and fairly quick, felt at the front of the mouth. Red jalapeños are sweeter and fruitier, with a rounder heat. Pickling softens the heat a little and adds sourness; roasting brings out sweetness and a slight smokiness.
In the kitchen¶
The jalapeño is a workhorse: large enough to stuff, thick enough to hold its crunch, and hot enough to matter.
- Salsas: finely chopped raw in pico de gallo and guacamole; roasted in cooked salsas.
- Pickled: jalapeños en escabeche, with carrot, onion, garlic, oregano and vinegar, are a standard Mexican condiment and the source of the sliced rings on nachos.
- Stuffed: halved and filled with cheese, then grilled or fried as jalapeño poppers; or wrapped in bacon.
- Baked: in cornbread, scones, cheese biscuits and quesadillas.
- Drinks: muddled into margaritas and infused into tequila.
A medium jalapeño, deseeded and deribbed, adds pleasant warmth to a salsa for four; with ribs and seeds it adds real heat. Taste a sliver first, as heat varies a lot.
💡 Roasting
Char whole jalapeños over a gas flame or under a hot grill until blackened, seal in a bowl for 10 minutes, then rub off the skins. The flesh turns sweet and silky, ideal for blended salsas.
Buying and storing¶
Choose firm, glossy, deep-green pods without soft spots. Store unwashed in the fridge for one to two weeks. They freeze well sliced or whole for cooking. Pickled jalapeños keep for months in the fridge once opened. To make your own, pour hot vinegar brine (equal parts vinegar and water, with 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar per 500 ml) over sliced jalapeños and chill for a day.
Substitutes¶
- Serrano: similar flavour, two to three times hotter; use less.
- Any fresh green finger chilli: thinner-walled and usually hotter.
- Poblano for stuffing, where heat matters less.
- For the smoked form, see chipotle.
Pairs well with¶
Lime, coriander leaf, avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, cheese (especially cheddar and cream cheese), cumin, oregano, corn, pork, bacon and tequila.
Growing your own¶
Jalapeños are a good first chilli. Sow indoors in February–March at 20–25°C, grow on in pots and plant out after the last frost, or keep in a greenhouse. Plants reach 60–90 cm. Give them sun and regular feeding with tomato fertiliser once flowering. Pick green once pods are 6–8 cm and firm; regular picking encourages more fruit. Leave some to ripen red for sweeter pods or for smoking into chipotle. See growing chillies.