-
1
Inspect each sun-dried pepper and confirm it is papery and completely dry throughout. Split open and remove all seeds and white pith; any seed left in the pod will cause the oil to foam and the pepper to taste bitter. The cleaned pepper should feel light and hollow in the hand.
-
2
Pour the olive oil into a wide, deep pan — sufficient depth to submerge the peppers entirely; shallow-frying produces uneven texture. Bring the oil to exactly 170 °C, confirmed with a thermometer. At this temperature a small piece of dried pepper dropped in will begin to sizzle gently without spitting violently.
-
3
Lower the cleaned peppers into the oil in small batches. Fry for 30–45 seconds maximum. This is where the dish lives or dies: the window between perfectly crisped and irreversibly burnt is a matter of seconds, and the peppers continue cooking from residual heat after removal. Remove the moment the colour shifts from deep red to amber; do not wait for full amber in the oil.
-
4
Lift the peppers immediately with a slotted spoon and transfer to kitchen paper. Season with fine sea salt at once, while the surface is still hot from the oil — once cooled, salt will not adhere. The finished pepper should be ethereally light and shatter at the slightest pressure.