As pumpkin spice season starts earlier each passing year, Texans often aren't in the mood for fall flavors while temperatures are still scorching. What can we do but embrace the heat — literally and figuratively — with a different seasonal culinary celebration: Hatch chiles.
Many Texas-based grocery stores (and even national grocers) have celebrated Hatch chile season for years now, marking the harvest of the peppers anywhere from late July through September. So while we may not be ready for all things pumpkin, we can enjoy a flavor that signals the changing seasons, something of a "late-summer pumpkin spice" for us in the South.
We're exploring all things Hatch chiles, including the surprising health benefits and how you can incorporate the peppers into your favorite dishes.
What are Hatch chiles?
Hatch chiles, which have over 130 varieties, can be green or red, and their spice levels can range from mild to very hot. These peppers have a firm, dense flesh that offers a pleasant texture. When consumed raw, the chiles can have a vegetal, earthy and spicy flavor. When roasted, they have a smoky, sweet, more subtly spicy or even buttery flavor.
So what makes them Hatch chiles? They must be grown in Hatch, New Mexico. Much like sparkling wine can only be called champagne if the grapes were grown in the Champagne province in France, Hatch chile growers have a certification mark stating that chiles can only be "Hatch" if they're grown in the Hatch Valley — otherwise "Not Grown in New Mexico" appears on the label.
It's said that Hatch chiles get their flavor from the area's nutrient-rich terroir, sunny days and cool mountain temperatures at night. Whether that flavor is unique compared to green chiles grown in other locations, such as Anaheim, California, is hotly debated (pun intended) and may come down to personal preference.
Fun fact: Peppers of all kinds are classified by botanists as a fruit. However, like their fellow nightshades, tomatoes and eggplants, most people consider them vegetables due to culinary and cultural traditions and the fact that they contain much less naturally occurring sugar than fruit.
Are there health benefits to eating Hatch chiles?
"Hatch chiles, like most green chiles, are non-starchy vegetables that are low in calories. You don't have to think of them as being a carbohydrate in your meal like you would corn or peas," says Lea Obeid, a registered dietitian at Houston Methodist. "Incorporating more non-starchy vegetables into our diet is great for weight management and overall health, and depending on the dish, you may not need to add as much salt or fat because the chiles will add flavor."
Hatch peppers are a great source of vitamins and antioxidants. They are rich in vitamins A, B6, C and K1, as well as potassium. A single Hatch chile can have over 100% of the daily value for vitamin C, more than a medium-sized orange.
"For chile peppers like Hatch, the longer they stay on the vine, the more they become a deep red color, which changes the available vitamins," Obeid says. "Red chile peppers will have more vitamin A but less vitamin C than green ones — but both are good sources for these essential nutrients that promote eye health and support our immune system."
Hatch chiles also contain capsaicin, a chemical compound that gives chiles their heat and that burning sensation you feel while eating the peppers.
"Capsaicin is an anti-inflammatory compound and can act as a pain reliever, which from an overall health perspective is great," Obeid says. "We're trying to eat foods that help fight the oxidative stress that causes overall inflammation in our bodies, which can lead to chronic illnesses."
Other benefits of capsaicin include increasing metabolism, helping to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, aiding in the management of arthritis pain and helping with temporary relief of sinus congestion. Next time you've got a cold, or your allergies are acting up, consider a bowl of spicy chili over chicken soup as the capsaicin will irritate the nasal passages and sinuses, causing increased mucus to help break up congestion and get it moving.
In addition, a 2015 observational study in the British Medical Journal showed that daily consumption of spicy food (compared to just once or twice a week) is associated with a lower risk for death. Fresh and dried chile peppers were the most commonly used spices for participants who reported eating spicy foods daily.
If you're reading this and thinking, "Great, but I don't like spicy food," Hatch chiles might be a gateway pepper to try if you want to increase your spice tolerance. Typically, Hatch chiles are milder than your average jalapeño.
Consider some readings of the Scoville scale, which measures the spiciness level of a pepper. Mild Hatch chiles measure anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 Scoville heat units (SHU); hot Hatch chiles from 10,000-18,000 SHU; and jalapeño varieties from 2,000 to 15,000 SHU depending on the variety.
For context, the hottest pepper on record ("Hot Ones" fans know!) is Pepper X, which measures 2,693,000 SHU, dethroning the Carolina Reaper.
"Using chile peppers in your cooking is a personal preference, and spicy food isn't for everyone, and can cause issues for people who get frequent heartburn or have overactive bladder," Obeid says. "But if you're open to increasing your spice tolerance or looking to add more flavor to your dishes with only one ingredient, peppers can be a great option."
RELATED: How to Cool Your Mouth Down After Eating Spicy Food
Are Hatch chiles better raw or roasted?
When shopping at the market, you may notice in-store roasting of Hatch chiles. You can consume the peppers raw, but they are most commonly roasted.
"Roasting chiles adds a smokey flavor and loosens the outer skin of the pepper, making it easier to remove," Obeid says. "Pepper skins are edible but aren't always thin and easy to consume, and may have an off-putting texture."
Roasting helps with flavor, but also aids in preserving nutrients and antioxidants, especially if you choose to store them in the freezer.
What about Hatch-flavored processed foods?
It's not just the peppers in grocery stores during Hatch chile season — it seems that almost every aisle has something Hatch-flavored on the shelf, whether the item is chips, cookies, meat or dairy.
"As always, we should try to prioritize fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as well as reduce the amount of processed foods as much as possible," Obeid says. "But since many of these items may come around only once a year, and if it fits with your eating pattern, it's OK to get your favorites and enjoy them in moderation."
RELATED: PODCAST: We're Eating More Ultra-Processed Foods Than We Think
Plus, Obeid notes, some of these products may not use the actual chiles, instead opting to use artificial flavors or sweeteners to achieve the taste — which may not have the heat or flavor that true stans of pepper expect. If you're keen on the authentic flavor, you may want to prioritize saving some chiles to have around for your own culinary experiments year-round (more on this below!).
How to use Hatch chiles (or any chile pepper for that matter!) in your cooking
Cooking at home puts you in the driver's seat — you can control the flavors and ingredients, including the fat, sugar and salt ... and the spice level! — for everything that comes out of your kitchen. If you like the taste of like Hatch chilies, Obeid suggests getting them either raw or roasted, and preserving them, so you can use the ingredient year-round.
"You can buy them raw, dry them, and crush them using a mortar and pestle to make a chile powder," Obeid says. "You can also make it into a paste or cut them up and freeze them like you would with a mirepoix. You can save the paste or chopped peppers in your freezer, where it will stay good for six months or so and it will still have that flavor and still be fresh from the season."
From there, the world is your burrito. Obeid says there are no limits to what you can try.
"You can make a dip out of it," Obeid says. "You can make it into a sauce to pair with any protein. You can really play with it the way that you want to. You can make your own pasta sauce, or add it to a jarred marinara sauce or pizza sauce. Make your own salsa, put it into guacamole, different things, right?"
How to roast Hatch chiles at home
Here's a simple way to roast Hatch chiles (or any raw chile) at home.
- Wear gloves and avoid touching your eyes or face.
- Roast the chiles. To do so, you can either:
- Place peppers on a sheet pan and place directly under a pre-heated oven broiler.
- Place the peppers on the grates of a grill.
- Place the pepper above a burner on a gas stove set to high heat. Use tongs to flip and get both sides. (Take care to not burn yourself, and have any fire safety equipment nearby.)
- Wait until the chile skin is blistered and has some black spots — avoid charring the skin completely, as it will cause a bitter taste.
- Place peppers in a bowl and cover using plastic wrap or aluminum foil and let the chiles rest and cool for a minimum of 15 minutes.
- From there, you can peel the skin and remove the stems, seeds and white pith and ribs based on your personal preference.
- Use now or freeze for later. Enjoy!
