The Easiest Way to Peel Roasted Capsicums

Roasted red capsicums are silky and sweet, but the tough, flakey, charred skins don’t bring much to the table, so to speak. And, even if they have not-so-tough thin skins, they often flake and crumble into little black specks of charred plant matter, which you may not find particularly appealing. Roasted capsicums are, luckily, very easy to peel — you just have to cover them for a moment.

What you cover them with is up to you. I usually toss them in a bowl and seal them in with plastic wrap, but a closed paper bag works well, as does a pot or Tupperware-type container with a lid. Once they’re covered, the capsicums steam themselves, which loosens the skin, allowing you to rub it right off with your hands, or a paper towel if you’re worried about your hands getting stained. (If you want to capture that super smokey flavour, you can peel them in a bowl of water, and then use that water like a smokey stock.)

They don’t need to be covered that for that long; you just want them to be cool enough to handle. For the two poblanos I roasted this weekend, 15 minutes was enough, though you may need as long as half an hour if you picked an entire peck (which is nearly 37 cups of capsicums).

Once they’re peeled, they’re ready to go. Chop them up and add them to dips, salads, salsas, roasted meets, or anything else you think would benefit from their sweet and smokey flavour. (I used my roasted poblanos to make a roasted poblano hollandaise sauce this weekend, which is something I highly recommend. Just combine the chopped capsicums with a couple of egg yolks in a food processor before drizzling in the melted butter.)