Crispy Stuffed Jalapeños

Crispy Stuffed Jalapeños

We’re rather partial to Tapas or Pintxos at Meat Smoke Fire and we love jalapeños too, so this dish ticks lots of boxes. Whilst this recipe does some take forward planning to make and cool the filling; it is so worth it.

The end result is a combination of the creamy roux filling with the gentle heat of the jalapeño pepper and the crispy panko breadcrumb coating make these snacks so moreish. Think croquetas with a touch of fire! What’s not to love?

These would be a great addition to a spread of party food or a Tapas style meal. Frankly, this are so delicious they could be eaten on their own as a snack!

Method

To make the sauce

You could do this on your Big Green Egg but to be honest, it’s much easier to do it on the hob indoors.

1. In a sturdy pan, heat 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium heat.
2. Once it is hot, add your diced leek and sauté until it softens, but don’t colour it.
3. Now add your ham and fry for another minute.
4. Stir in the flour (60g). Cook it for about 5 minutes, and stir occasionally until it goes golden.
5. In a second pan combine the milk and stock and heat until it is hot, not boiling.
6. Add some freshly grated nutmeg.
7. Next pour a little of this liquid at a time into the flour mix, stir and allow your roux to form and thicken.
8. Once it’s all combined, cook for a further 10 minutes to thicken.
9. Season with pepper and a little salt, the ham may have already made this quite salty.
10. Smooth the roux into a 20cm x 30cm tray lined with baking parchment and pop into the fridge to cool for an hour.  This also will work if you want to prepare the day before.

To prepare the jalapeños

1. Into three bowls, add the flour (75g), beaten eggs and breadcumbs.
2. Take each of the jalapeño peppers, slice them in half, lengthwise and scrape out all the seeds with a teaspoon.
3. Use a spoon to stuff the jalapeño with the cooled roux.  Smooth the roux with the back of the spoon to create a flat surface.
4. Dip the jalapeño into the flour to coat it, then the egg.  Place on a cooling rack, roux side up to dry.  Leave for at least 10 minutes.
5. Now dip the jalapeños in the egg mixture again and then coat the jalapeño with the breadcrumbs.
6. Place each one on a parchment lined tray, roux side down.
7. Repeat this making 20 snacks with the roux.
8. Pop these back into the fridge for 30 minutes.

To cook

1. Setup your Egg for a direct cook with the EGGspander basket and wok part filled with oil (4cm deep).
2. Set your Egg for about 140°C, this should mean your oil in the wok will reach 180°C, you can test this with a Thermapen.
3. In batches of 5, gently lower the jalapeños into the oil and cook until they turn golden brown, turning once or twice.
4. Using a slotted spoon remove them from the oil and place them onto a plate lined with kitchen towel.
5. Repeat for the other batches.
6. Serve warm but not straight from the wok as they will be dangerously hot.  These won’t last long and they still taste incredible when they’re cold.