These fermented roasted peppers not only have beneficial bacteria that are great for gut health, but they also taste delicious! Roasting the peppers before fermentation adds a whole new depth of flavor. They make a wonderful topping on pizza, salads, baked potatoes, eggs, tacos, and much more.
I’ve been clearing out my garden and harvesting the last bits of produce before the first frost hits us. By the end of summer and beginning of fall, the garden becomes pretty overgrown, and I admit I’m not so good at keeping up with it. While cleaning out the garden, I was surprised to discover that my bell pepper plants were still producing!
I was able to harvest a decent amount of peppers; definitely more than we can eat fresh before they start to go bad. I didn’t want to let them go to waste, so I brainstormed what to do with them. And then I remembered…
My husband and I recently ate out at a pizza restaurant where one of the toppings was roasted bell peppers. We both remarked that we should buy some roasted peppers for our homemade pizza nights. But why buy peppers when you have a basket full of free ones from the garden? And why stop with roasting the peppers when you can take it one more step and ferment them, thus preserving them for longer while also adding good bacteria into your diet?
What is the difference between pickling and fermenting?
There is some confusion out there concerning the difference between a food that has been pickled and one that has been fermented. In the plainest terms, pickling is done by soaking a food in an acidic brine, usually made with vinegar, to produce a sour flavor and to preserve the food.
Fermenting, on the other hand, is done without vinegar and uses only salt and water to preserve the food. The sour flavor of fermented foods is created by the chemical change undergone during fermentation. Fermented foods are quite possibly healthier than their more acidic pickled alternative.
What is Lacto-Fermentation?
Fermentation, or lacto-fermentation, is a food preservation method that has been used since ancient times. It was used before freezers and canners were even an option. Not only does it preserve the food, but it also provides several health benefits.
The process of lacto-fermentation involves beneficial lactic acid bacteria breaking down the starches and sugars in the vegetable or fruit and converting them to lactic acid. This lactic acid is what preserves the food and also what aids in a healthy gut biome.
Salt is mixed with the vegetable or fruit in order to inhibit bad bacteria from growing until the lactic acid is produced. Lacto-fermentation is an anaerobic process. Anaerobic means “without oxygen”.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read my full disclosure here.
Tips for Fermented Roasted Peppers:
- Red bell peppers will make the sweetest fermented peppers, but you can use green peppers or yellow peppers too.
- This recipe is a great way to preserve large amounts of bell peppers from your garden or farmers market in late summer. A jar of fermented peppers will last you well into the winter months.
- The fermented roasted peppers will develop a stronger flavor with time. This is true of any lacto-fermented vegetable, but you can still eat them immediately after fermentation.
- Use non-iodized salt like Redmond Real Salt and non-chlorinated water for best results. Iodine and chlorine can interfere with the fermentation process.
Ingredients:
Large red peppers
2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon of sea salt
Filtered water
Tools You May Need:
Fermentation vessel ( I suggest a quart size wide mouth mason jar)
Rectangular glass pans
How to Make Fermented Roasted Peppers:
Prepare Peppers for Roasting
Wash the fresh peppers, remove the seeds, and slice the peppers into quarters.
Roast the Peppers
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of each 9×13 glass pan. For 12 sweet peppers you will need approximately three pans. Place the peppers in a single layer in each pan.
Roast the peppers for 10 minutes, then turn the peppers over and roast for another 10 minutes or until the skins turn brown and begin to bubble. Remove from the oven and transfer the roasted peppers to a plate. Cover the plate with plastic wrap to trap in the steam. This is the best way to make the skins easier to remove.
Prepare Peppers for Fermenting
After the peppers have cooled on the plate for 10-15 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and transfer the peppers to a cutting board. Peel the skin from each pepper. If you aren’t able to remove all of the skins that’s perfectly fine. I don’t think the texture is much different either way.
Next, cut each quarter pepper into thin slices. Add the pepper slices to a clean jar, leaving about 2 inches of space between the top of the peppers and the top of the jar.
Prepare the Salt Brine
Fill a glass measuring cup with 1/2 cup of filtered water. Stir in the sea salt, then pour the salt water over the peppers in the jar. If needed, add a little bit more water to the jar to ensure there is enough brine to cover the peppers completely.
Ferment the Peppers
Place a glass fermentation weight in the jar to keep the peppers submerged under the brine. If the peppers are not covered completely with water, they will develop mold.
Fasten an airlock lid on top of the jar. If you don’t have one, you can place a regular canning lid on top, but you will need to “burp” the jar several times a day to release the gases that build up during the fermentation process. Otherwise, your jar will eventually burst due to the built up pressure.
Keep the jar of peppers at room temperature on your kitchen countertop for about two to four days. The amount of days depends on how warm or cold your kitchen is.
How do I know my vegetables are fermented?
Around day three I noticed small bubbles forming in the jar. This doesn’t always happen, but if you notice bubbles it’s a sign that fermentation is taking place and carbon dioxide is being released. You will also know the process is working when liquid or bubbles escape through the airlock top. Other signs may include the color of the vegetables fading, a cloudy brine, the texture of the vegetables becoming softer, and the flavor turning slightly sour.
The only real way to know if your peppers have fermented is to see if they stand the test of time. If they don’t develop mold, don’t smell putrid, and last far longer than fresh peppers would, you will know you’ve successfully fermented your roasted bell peppers.
Storage:
Once the peppers are done fermenting (2-4 days), cover the jar securely with a plastic lid and place in a cool dark place out of direct sunlight, such as the refrigerator or a root cellar. The peppers should keep for 4-6 months in cold storage.
Want to Know More?
If you’re interested in the details of fermenting vegetables and fruits or would like more information and recipes on traditional cooking as a whole, then you’ll want to check out the book Nourishing Traditions.
Serving Suggestions:
Use the fermented peppers as a topping on other dishes. A small amount of these fermented roasted peppers will have a big impact on the flavor of the rest of the dish. The best way to serve these peppers is straight out of the jar, as heating them will destroy much of the beneficial bacteria they contain. Here are some foods you may want to try topping with fermented roasted peppers:
- Pizza
- Salad
- Baked potato
- Scrambled or fried eggs or omelette
- Taco, burrito, nachos or enchiladas
- Soup and chili
More Posts You May Like:
- How to Activate Kefir and Make Thick Milk Kefir
- Homemade Blackberry Kefir Gut Healthy Popsicles
- Homemade Garden Salsa for Canning
- A Guide to Preserving and Storing Dried Herbs in Jars
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars!
Sweet Fermented Roasted Peppers
Yield: 1 jar
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Additional Time: 3 days
Total Time: 3 days 50 minutes
These fermented roasted peppers not only have beneficial bacteria that are great for gut health, but they also taste delicious! Roasting the peppers before fermentation adds a whole new depth of flavor. They make a wonderful topping on pizza, salads, baked potatoes, eggs, tacos, and much more.
Ingredients
- 12 large red peppers
- 6 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup filtered water
Instructions
Prepare Peppers for Roasting
- Wash the fresh peppers, remove the seeds, and slice the peppers into quarters.
Roast the Peppers
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bottom of each 9x13 glass pan. For 12 sweet peppers you will need approximately three pans. Place the peppers in a single layer in each pan.
- Roast the peppers for 10 minutes, then turn the peppers over and roast for another 10 minutes or until the skins turn brown and begin to bubble. Remove from the oven and transfer the roasted peppers to a plate. Cover the plate with plastic wrap to trap in the steam. This is the best way to make the skins easier to remove.
Prepare Peppers for Fermenting
- After the peppers have cooled on the plate for 10-15 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and transfer the peppers to a cutting board. Peel the skin from each pepper. If you aren't able to remove all of the skins that's perfectly fine. I don't think the texture is much different either way.
- Next, cut each quarter pepper into thin slices. Add the pepper slices to a clean jar, leaving about 2 inches of space between the top of the peppers and the top of the jar.
Prepare the Salt Brine
- Fill a glass measuring cup with 1/2 cup of filtered water. Stir in the sea salt, then pour the salt water over the peppers in the jar. If needed, add a little bit more water to the jar to ensure there is enough brine to cover the peppers completely.
Ferment the Peppers
- Place a glass fermentation weight in the jar to keep the peppers submerged under the brine. If the peppers are not covered completely with water, they will develop mold.
- Fasten an airlock lid on top of the jar. If you don't have one, you can place a regular canning lid on top, but you will need to "burp" the jar several times a day to release the gases that build up during the fermentation process. Otherwise, your jar will eventually burst due to the built up pressure.
- Keep the jar of peppers at room temperature on your kitchen countertop for about two to four days. The amount of days depends on how warm or cold your kitchen is.
Storage
- Once the peppers are done fermenting (2-4 days), cover the jar securely with a plastic lid and place in a cool dark place out of direct sunlight, such as the refrigerator or a root cellar. The peppers should keep for 4-6 months in cold storage.
Notes
- Red bell peppers will make the sweetest fermented peppers, but you can use green peppers or yellow peppers too.
- This recipe is a great way to preserve large amounts of bell peppers from your garden or farmers market in late summer. A jar of fermented peppers will last you well into the winter months.
- The fermented roasted peppers will develop a stronger flavor with time. This is true of any lacto-fermented vegetable, but you can still eat them immediately after fermentation.
- Use non-iodized salt like Redmond Real Salt and non-chlorinated water for best results. Iodine and chlorine can interfere with the fermentation process.
