Chile-Lime Peanuts Recipe
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 35 mins
Active: 10 mins
Makes: 10 to 15 servings as a snack (2 pounds)
By Kate Ramos
A traditional Oaxacan bar snack, these lime- and chile-flavored peanuts are typically deep-fried in pork fat. Here, we’ve lightened them up by roasting them in the oven, for a quick, easy snack that doesn’t sacrifice any flavor. Try them out at your next cocktail party, and don’t be put off by the amount of garlic—roasting sweetens and mellows it.
What to buy: Spanish peanuts are short, round nuts with red skins; they can be found at most Mexican or Indian markets.
Game plan: Once roasted, these peanuts can be stored in a covered container for up to a week.
This recipe was featured as part of our Wii Night! gaming menu, our 2009 Presidential Inauguration Menu, and our Bar Snacks and Tailgating Recipes photo galleries.
- 2 pounds raw, shelled Spanish peanuts
- 20 whole unpeeled garlic cloves (about 2 whole heads)
- 6 tablespoons peanut oil
- 4 arbol chiles, crushed
- 3 tablespoons finely grated lime zest, packed (from about 4 medium limes)
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Toss together peanuts, garlic, peanut oil, and chiles until evenly coated.
- Spread ingredients out on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast, shaking and stirring halfway through, until nuts are toasted and beginning to crack open, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a large, heatproof bowl. Toss with lime zest, salt, and sugar and serve.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
Why lighten them though?! Has anyone gone the pork-fat route? Would love to hear thoughts...
I gave this a try over the weekend. The house smells of roasted garlic. The peanuts look like the ones in the Oaxacan markets but the chili doesn't transfer to the nuts. They are good, but not great. I'm going to work with this recipe and see if I can intensify the heat element and get the spices to stick to the nuts.
What fat did you use??
What about mixing chili powder with the lime, sugar and salt? That might give you a little more kick.
This is an awesome snack. It took me 3 hrs to de-hull the peanuts and it was well worth it :)
One thing though, forget the peanut oil, Roasting in the oven is healthy enough v deep frying so use real lard. When I used peanut oil nothing wanted to stick to peanuts.
And when I say real lard I don't mean that industrial pure white stuff you can buy at the supermarket. Buy some fatback, slice the skin off, cut it into 1x2" rectangles and and make some chicharrones while you're rendering the lard from the cubed fat too :)
How long do these keep?
It says about one week in an air tight container.
Has anyone tried this recipe with "regular" (non-Spanish) raw peanuts? How did it turn out?