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1
Bring the olive oil to 170 °C in a wide, deep pan — sufficient depth to submerge the peppers freely. Confirm temperature with a kitchen thermometer or by submerging the tip of a wooden spoon: small, steady bubbles should rise immediately around it.
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2
Lower the dried peppers into the oil one or two at a time. Fry for 10–15 seconds per pepper — this is where the dish lives or dies. The pepper puffs, brightens to a vivid red-orange and becomes translucent at its edges; remove it the instant darkening begins at the stem end. A single 5-second overshoot produces bitterness that cannot be corrected.
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3
Lift each pepper immediately with a spider or slotted spoon and lay it flat — do not stack — on a double layer of kitchen paper. The peppers continue to crisp as they cool; they are done when they shatter cleanly under light finger pressure.
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4
Season the peppers with fine sea salt only once they are out of the oil and cool enough to handle. Salt applied before or during frying draws residual moisture to the surface and causes uneven, soft patches.
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5
Spoon the ricotta onto a plate or shallow bowl. If using peperoncino, fold a pinch into the ricotta now. Arrange the peperoni cruschi alongside. Serve within 15 minutes: humidity softens the papery structure rapidly, and stacking accelerates that loss.