Serrano

So you’ve made it half way through the chilli challenge, well done. Now things are getting a little hotter do you think you can handle a Seranno chilli ? Despite being twice as hot as the popular jalapeno these chillis are commonly eaten raw. That’s because they’re fleshy with thin skins, a trait that makes them well suited for making salsa (see our ultimate salsa recipe). However be warned before you tuck in that Seranno chillies have a scoville rating of 11,000 which puts them in position 5 on the scale of heat. Maybe have some yoghurt to hand to cool the mouth after eating.

Another top performer and certainly one we’ll be growing again. This germinated well and produced a decent size crop.

Yet another chilli from the mountainous regions of Mexico the word Seranno is said to mean ‘from the mountains’. Similar in appearance to Jalapenos, only slimmer, most Seranno’s are picked green although if left to mature they can ripen to red or yellow in colour. The smaller red ones tend to be the hottest so if you’re planning, like others, to eat these raw then be sure to choose wisely.

One popular way to enjoy Serrano is to mix them in a fresh tomato salsa which makes a great accompaniment at a bbq.

Seranno usually take around 100 days to reach maturity so these are best sown indoors in March.

Looking a bit sad – late in the season but still producing.