Description
Crispy Chile Rellenos with Spicy Salsa is a classic Mexican dish featuring roasted poblano peppers stuffed with creamy Monterey Jack cheese, battered in a light egg coating, and fried to golden perfection. Served with a vibrant homemade spicy salsa roja, this recipe offers a delightful balance of smoky, cheesy, and spicy flavors wrapped in a crunchy exterior.
Ingredients
Scale
Chiles and Cheese
- 6 large poblano peppers
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into long strips or shredded
Batter and Frying
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 4 cups oil, for frying (vegetable or canola oil recommended)
Spicy Salsa Roja
- 6 roma tomatoes, quartered
- ½ small onion, halved (yellow or white)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stem and seeds removed (optional)
- 5 sprigs cilantro
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
- Broil the peppers: Preheat your oven broiler and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the poblano peppers on the sheet and position it directly under the broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the skin is blackened and blistered, then carefully flip each pepper and broil the other side for another 5 minutes until equally charred.
- Steam the peppers: Remove the peppers from the oven and loosely cover the baking sheet with foil or plastic wrap. Let them steam for 5 minutes to loosen the skins, which will make peeling easier.
- Peel and prepare peppers: Peel off as much of the blackened skin as possible. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Make a small slit down the middle of each pepper and, if desired, remove seeds to reduce heat.
- Stuff the peppers: Fill each pepper gently with the Monterey Jack cheese strips. Some peppers may tear, just fill them as best as you can.
- Secure the peppers: Close the opening of each pepper carefully and secure it with 1 to 3 toothpicks to keep the cheese from oozing out during frying. Set aside.
- Prepare for frying: Heat 4 cups of vegetable or canola oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels to drain the fried peppers.
- Make the batter: Separate egg whites and yolks into two bowls. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form, then reduce speed and add yolks one at a time. Beat until the batter is light, fluffy, and smooth.
- Flour the peppers: Mix the flour and ½ teaspoon fine salt in a shallow dish. Roll each stuffed pepper gently in the flour mixture and tap off excess.
- Batter the peppers: Dip the floured peppers into the egg batter, coating them evenly on all sides.
- Fry the chile rellenos: Carefully place the battered peppers into the hot oil and fry 3 to 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Fry only 2 at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan.
- Drain excess oil: Transfer the fried peppers to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and let the oil drain.
- Prepare salsa roja: In a blender, combine the roma tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, and kosher salt. Puree until smooth.
- Cook the salsa: Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the blended salsa and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt to taste and remove from heat.
- Serve: Remove toothpicks from chile rellenos, serve immediately with the warm spicy salsa roja, garnish with chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese if desired.
Notes
- To reduce spiciness, remove seeds from the poblano and jalapeño peppers.
- Ensure the oil is hot enough before frying to get a crispy coating, but not so hot that it burns quickly.
- Work carefully when stuffing peppers as they can be fragile and tear easily.
- Use fresh, ripe roma tomatoes for the best flavor in the salsa.
- Serve immediately to enjoy the chile rellenos crispiness before the batter softens.
