

Hatch chiles from New Mexico are like a summer romance. They blow into town in August, young, delicious, fresh and sassy, and by the end of September, they’re gone with the season.
If you see them at your store, buy some now!
Prized for their meaty flesh, Hatch chiles are named after the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico — the Mesilla Valley just north of Las Cruces, along the Rio Grande near where it crosses into Texas and Mexico. There, the intense sun by day and the cool nights conspire to yield a flavorful, mildly-hot chile beloved in rellenos, chile verde, soups or in anything that could use a green chile boost.
Once you get them home, you must roast and skin them.
My friend Rosa showed me how she does it the easiest way possible, for today’s Shockingly Delicious Cooking Class.
My box of Hatch chiles was sent to me by the wonderful folks at Melissa’s World Variety Produce.
I got both hot and mild varieties. In truth, the hot version seemed fairly mild, as well, so don’t be afraid of it.
For efficiency, Rosa heats a griddle pan on the stove and lays out the chiles. As the skin begins to sizzle, pop and brown, she turns them to roast evenly.
As they roast, they might contract a bit on the side that is heating, so they curl up a bit. She grabs a wooden spoon to tamp them back down.
As a batch of them are done (the skin is dark and blistered), she puts them into a sturdy plastic bag.
Fold the bag over and allow the chiles to steam in their own heat.
Meanwhile, there are still chiles on the griddle. Tired of burning her fingers turning them, she grabs a metal tongs.
Again, as they are done, they get placed into the bag.
Let them sit on the counter in the bag until they cool down. This steaming will loosen the skin.
When they are cool, remove them from the bag. Gorgeous!
Using your fingers, gently peel the dark, blistered skin off. It will slip off easily. It’s a bit like peeling a sunburn after a few days when it starts to flake.
Voila! Hatch chile ready for the next step!
Peel them all and set in a plate.
At this point, you may freeze them as is, or better yet, cut the stem off, use your finger to scoop out and discard the seeds, and chop them. Either use fairly soon, or freeze in small containers for future use.
Hope you enjoy your Hatch chiles! One you get the hang of roasting, it goes very quickly.
Thanks to Melissa’s World Variety Produce for providing the box of chiles for this lesson.
[…] it yourself in the oven or on the grill. Click here for more […]
[…] upon us and will quickly breeze out with the summer heat. It’s time to stock up on the freshness, roast them and pop them in the freezer to enjoy the Hatch goodness long after their short season is over. Here […]
Jennifer,
Oh good. It’s very easy…you can do it!
I roast mine under the broiler in the oven turning them three or four times to get them evenly browned.
My favorite trick is freezing the chopped chiles in ice cube trays and then storing in the freezer. Each ice cube measures about two tablespoons so two cubes equals one fourth cup. Very handy to have a stash of these in the freezer.
Here is a great recipe for Chile Rellenos:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/29565-chiles-rellenos
Dave,
Smart freezing strategy! Thanks for sharing!
New experience!
[…] sure how to roast your Hatch Chili Peppers? Here’s a helpful post I found that may help. We roasted our peppers on the outdoor grill. Our local HEB Plus! was even […]
It was all good until the ‘peel off the blistered skin like a sunburn that is starting to flake’. Um no. Lost my appetite completely.
Chris,
Ha ha! Get over it! They are worth it!
[...] followed the pan roasting technique I learned from Shockingly Delicious. Super easy, especially if you are roasting a small number of chiles. Dorothy also has a terrific [...]
[...] step was fire-roasting the chiles. I chose to fire-roast them over the stove, but you could easily oven-roast them, too. I put the gas on medium-high and popped the chiles onto the [...]
[...] Not close to a Hatch roasting of your own? You can order fresh Hatch chiles from Melissa’s, and roast them yourself (we like this little tutorial from Shockingly Delicious.). [...]
I’m roasting my Hatch chilies tomorrow and this just got me fired up! Pun intended!
[...] Want to learn to roast Hatch chiles… Click over to Shockingly Delicious. [...]
[...] OR simply order some for yourself – here’s a great tutorial from my friend Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious to get you [...]
[...] For how to roast Hatch Chiles, step by step, visit Shockingly Delicious. [...]
Isn’t it almost Hatch Chile season again????? Do you know if they are sold locally – or do we just give in and order them?
Connie, yes you are right, it is nearly Hatch season! Stay tuned for the list of roasting sites.
Great tutorial! Just ordered my box from Melissa’s yesterday!
Got to your blog from Foodily.com – what great ideas and recipes you have. John
John,
Welcome, and thank you!
OK – you have my piqued interest again! I love roasting the Anaheims from my garden… how do these compare to Anaheims as far as flavor and heat? FYI – I roast my Anaheims on the bbq, then take them off and put on my steak… while the steak is cooking I peel and dice the Anaheims, put them in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season with onion salt and use as a topping for my steak – just like my Italian grandfather used to do!
Rash Guard Woman (Lori!),
Hatch are like Anaheims. They have thicker walls. The box I got from Melissa’s were larger than Anaheims, but similar in taste, to my palate. i think it is like anything else grown — the taste varies by soil, region, etc.
Here’s a good overview from the Whole Foods market blog http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2008/09/late-summer-meanshatch-chilies/
I have learned there are four main varieties ranging in flavor from mild to smoky/spicy:
•NM 6-4: mild
•NM Big Jim: mild/med
•NM Sandia: med/hot
•NM Barkers: extra hot (limited supply)
Enjoy! I am going to try your Italian grandfather’s idea. Thanks!
Much more flavorful & if you roast them on a bbq grill using mesquite wood they’re even better
I have not seen any this year. I am starting to panic. GREG
Greg,
You can go to this web page http://www.melissas.com/Products/Products/Hatch-Chiles.aspx and at the bottom is a list of stores where I believe you can buy them and get them roasted.