With summer just around the corner, there’s one spice that works the hardest in my kitchen all season: our bestselling Smoked Pimentón Paprika.
Summertime is for smoke, and this paprika delivers a rich, woody, charred flavor and aroma, no grill required. If your paprika is “just for color”, this is your call to upgrade this overlooked, often misunderstood, kitchen staple.
Paprika is a chili, and chilies first arrived on the Spanish shores over five centuries ago on Christopher Columbus's ships, making them a relatively recent addition to European cuisine. There are many paprika styles today, but pimentón, the smoked Spanish paprika variety, is the most famous and the key ingredient in so many of my summertime dishes.
Our Smoked Pimentón Paprika comes from Extremadura, a protected origin designation on Spain's western border with Portugal. There, farmers dry the long, pointy peppers over an oak wood fire, imbuing the pimenton with its signature smokiness.
The peppers take two weeks to dry over the fire, with the farmers using big shovels to rotate them daily, listening to the rattle of the drying peppers to know when they're ready for grinding. Like all of our spices, this exceptional paprika requires time and care.
Our paprika has no heat, a little sweetness, and deep smoke, making it a versatile addition to this roast chicken and these chicken and veggie skewers, which should be in your regular summer rotation. For all of your grilling needs, for all of your rubs and marinades, and even for a sprinkle over dips and eggs (like Susan’s deviled eggs), make sure you have some handy.
