Oil-Cured Fermented Chiles

A glorious way to preserve summer heat

There are a million kinds of hot sauce and other preserved chile concoctions in the world, and most of them are worth exploring. This method, though, creates something downright sexy—it’s plenty hot, sure, depending on which peppers you choose, but it’s also got this slick, oily vibe that absolutely crushes on everything from stir-fry to sandwiches. I always make enough to last me until the following year’s peppers are ready.

Making these involves two main steps: fermentation and then jarring them in hot oil. First, though, you want to prep your peppers. For the batch in the photo I halved them lengthwise after cutting the stems off because these chiles are pretty small and I like how they look like little tongues this way. You can also slice them crosswise into rounds, which is a good choice for larger peppers.

Once cut, put your chiles in a jar with a 3% brine and let them ferment from between 1-5 days. If it’s still quite warm in your kitchen, one day might be enough. You want the brine to get a little cloudy and for a bit of fermented funk to appear in the aroma. Drain your peppers (save the brine—it’s wicked) and dry them using a salad spinner or by wrapping them in a kitchen towel and squeezing. Then pack them semi-tightly into a clean canning jar.

NOTE: Your jar MUST be a heat-resistant canning jar. Random jars from the store will shatter.

Heat some olive oil—about half the volume of your jar—until it reaches 350˚F (175˚C), just below the smoke point. Then VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY, using a metal canning funnel, pour the hot oil into the jar. The peppers will sputter and begin to fry. Pour in enough oil to cover them by at least 1/2 an inch (1 cm) and let the jar sit until it’s cool enough to touch. Put a lid on it and move it to the fridge, where it will keep for a good long time as long as you make sure the peppers are always fully covered by oil.

The combination of fermented tang with the slightly fried vibe makes these seriously addictive. You’ll put them on everything. It works with green peppers, too, so if you’ve got jalapeños, say, go for it. And if you want to ferment some coriander seeds or herbs or garlic along with your peppers, go ahead! Just remove them before the oil phase. Their flavor will have enhanced the peppers plenty.