It’s International Incident Party time again and this month the theme is SALT. Now we have a love hate relationship with salt in our modern society. We are told salt is bad…yet without salt we would not be alive. Salt was one of the few methods of food preservation before the invention of the “ice box”. Salt was so rare and expensive it was used for trades, salt created empires and unleashed wars. Funny how the precious can become so common over time.
If you are a regular reader then you know right now I am kitchen challenged i.e. it has been demolished and being rebuilt s-l-o-w-l-y. So I needed something very basic, easy, requiring a minimum of space and equipment to prepare. I had a large amount of jalapeno peppers that I was not going to get through before they went bad so I found a few leads on how to preserve them in salt. PERFECT!
But before we get to the recipe, I got curious and I rounded up all the salts I owned to see if I had a lot. These are the ones I located. Yikes! I have Kosher salt, garlic salt, black lava salt, tea smoked salt, salt with espelette chili, black sea salt, hickory smoked salt, fleur de sel and baking soda. Yes baking soda is a salt technically…from sodium jut not the common table one.
On the right is a book I just bought, Salt, which discusses salt throughout history. Of course first I have to finish about 500 page of my current 1000 page book,Pillars of the Earth. Phew.
Salt Preserved Jalapeno
enough fresh jalapeno (or any chili pepper you have) to fill your jar
coarse salt
opt: a sweet pepper for color contrast
- Wash and drain peppers then cut into thin slices or pieces, seeds included.
- In a sterilize glass jar drop in the bottom 1 tbsp of salt.
- Add a layer of jalapeno and sweet pepper if used.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you reach the top of the jar. Close lid tight.
- Leave in a cool place for a couple of weeks before using, then store in the refrigerator once opened.
TIP: Use a pair of disposable medical gloves when slicing to protect yourself from burning your hands. You can usually get just a couple of pairs in the hair dye section of the drugstore.
Super easy and quick, perfect for me right now. Oh and this would make a perfect holiday gift for a friend with a spicy pallet! Use any chili pepper you like, mix em up or add some herbs too.
Thanks for providing a very detailed explanation of associated process.
Matthew
Great xmas idea… I have a lot of different salt as well. I think it is going to take us years to finish them all 😉
That is a method I could use! Thanks for the tip and it would be a nice gift (I would be the first recipient)
I have a few salts, one I bought in France at the Bon Marché store from the Himalaya mountains and I have used only once! I need to investigate this salt thing, I am still in the dark about it. Interesting though.
The book is one my daughter and her boyfriend read and claim it was the best book ever. I guess I should read it too, even if it is 1000 pages!
Love this!
@tasteofbeirut…totally a good read.Yes it is a huge book but a great read indeed. Himalayan salt are lacking in my collection.
This sounds so easy! A wonderful way of preserving peppers.
Crap–I missed the International incident thing again!! I must go see what the next theme is and mark it on my calendar. You definitely have more salt than me, and this is a great idea. I usually freeze my extra peppers, but this is a great way to keep them too.
🙂
@ Mary, confession these were frozen, I defrosted them. I did not always find it practical if I needed one NOW and they were all hard as a rock.
I’ll try to make a note to email you for the next one so you don’t miss it!
This is totally perfect for gifts and yes mix up the colors with different peppers for sure.
Having pre-sliced peppers to around is great, just cut down on the salt of the recipe.
@Conor while putting my things back in the cupboards I found another salt I missed…ironically jalapeno infused lol
You are being very clever in the face of your kitchen woes! And look, you are making really fun things that you may not have done otherwise. I LOVE jalapenos and am very intrigued by this!
Oooo.. and you could use different coloured jalapeños for this when making gifts, especially xmas! Red and Green! Now that’s an idea!!
I think most people would appreciate a hand-made gift like this more than something bought at the store.
This is a neat idea, and it looks so pretty in a jar, definitely could be a nice gift!
Ah, excellent take on the theme in your kitchenless state! I’m surprised your kitchen didn’t demolish itself long ago though, under the weight of all that salt 😉
Love it, hot and salty suits me just fine! 😉
GREAT idea Evelyne!