This Charred Pepper Salad with Feta is the kind of vibrant summer side dish that turns heads and vanishes fast. It’s smoky, tangy, salty, and totally addicting. Give me this and a grilled steak and let me live!
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Why I Love This Recipe
I’m obsessed with this Charred Pepper Salad for so many reasons: it’s simple, stunning, and absolutely packed with flavor. The char from the grill gives the peppers that perfect smoky depth, and when you toss them with good olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, and a little heat, it all just sings. Top the Charred Pepper Salad off with creamy feta and loads of herbs and you’ve got the ultimate warm-weather salad that works with everything from grilled meats to crusty bread and wine on the patio.
A word on peppers:
Red bell peppers are sweet, fruity, and mellow. They caramelize beautifully on the grill and add bold color to the final dish.
Yellow bell peppers have a mild, sunshine-bright flavor. They balance deeper, smokier notes and help brighten up the entire salad.
Orange bell peppers offer a juicy, slightly tangier flavor than yellow, with a gorgeous pop of color that makes the dish visually exciting.
Poblano peppers are earthy, rich, and just slightly smoky. They bring complexity without too much heat, making them a great anchor in a mix of sweeter peppers.
Shishito peppers are mostly mild with the occasional spicy surprise. Their thin skin blisters quickly, adding texture and a little unpredictability to every bite.
Padron peppers are similar to shishitos — tender, grassy, and beautifully blistered when grilled. They're another mild, flavorful option that plays well with the other varieties.
Jimmy Nardello Peppers
These long, red, heirloom peppers are incredibly sweet with thin skin that chars like a dream. They're perfect if you want to lean into that smoky-sweet combo.
Hungarian Wax Peppers
These look a lot like banana peppers but pack a moderate heat. They grill well and add a bit of a kick without being overwhelming.
Anaheim Peppers
Mild and slightly peppery, these larger green chiles are great for grilling and mellow out nicely with char. They're a solid sub for poblanos if needed.
Fresno Peppers
These small red chiles are a little spicy (similar to a jalapeño) but fruitier. Use sparingly if you want to add a bit more heat and brightness.
Banana Peppers
Tangy and mild with a little zing, banana peppers bring a slightly pickled vibe when grilled. They're fun for contrast, especially with creamy feta.
Why We Skip Green Bell Peppers
Green bell peppers are more bitter and vegetal than their ripe red, yellow, or orange counterparts. They don’t caramelize as well on the grill, and their firmer texture can feel out of place in a dish that’s all about softness, char, and sweetness. They tend to overpower the more nuanced flavors in this Charred Pepper Salad, so we leave them out.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Mixed bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, poblanos, banana peppers etc)
- Shishito or padron peppers (or sub with more bell peppers if needed)
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar - champagne vinegar works too!
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Fresh feta (in brine is best, but block feta works too)
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
How to Make
- Preheat a grill to high heat.
- Grill the peppers, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and nearly cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shishitos or padrons will cook faster, so remove them once grill marks appear.
- Let the peppers cool slightly. Slice the larger ones into 1-inch strips. You can peel off some of the charred skin if desired.
- In a large bowl, toss the grilled peppers with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Arrange on a serving platter. Top with crumbled feta and garnish with torn basil and mint.
- Serve the Charred Pepper Salad warm or at room temperature.
Tips & Tricks
- Use a super hot grill to get those perfect char marks without overcooking the peppers.
- Keep a close eye on the shishitos or padrons, they cook quickly.
- Peeling the peppers is optional, but easier when they’re still warm.
- Feta in brine has the best flavor and texture, but if you're using a pre-crumbled version, just make sure it's fresh.
- This Charred Pepper Salad is super flexible, serve it warm, room temp, or even cold the next day with a fried egg on top.
FAQ's
Can I make this Charred Pepper Salad ahead of time?
Yes! Grill the peppers and mix the dressing ahead of time. Just assemble right before serving and add herbs at the last minute.
What if I don’t have a grill?
You can broil the peppers on a sheet pan until charred, or use a grill pan on the stove.
How spicy is this Charred Pepper Salad?
Not very. The red pepper flakes add just a hint of heat, and shishitos are usually mild, though there’s always that one rogue spicy one!
Similar Recipes
Charred Pepper Salad with Feta
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bell peppers and some shishito or padron peppers
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 12 ounces feta in the brine, crumbled or torn into small pieces
- fresh basil and mint for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the peppers. For the large peppers: cored and quartered. For the shishitos or padrons, leave them whole.
- Prepare a grill for high heat.
- Grill the peppers, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and nearly cooked through, about 10 minutes. Shishitos or padrons will cook faster, so remove them once grill marks appear.
- Let the peppers cool slightly. Slice the larger ones into 1-inch strips. You can peel off some of the charred skin if desired.
- In a large bowl, toss the grilled peppers with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Arrange on a serving platter. Top with crumbled feta and garnish with torn basil and mint. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Get creative! We all love bell peppers on the grill but try using padrons, shishitos, poblanos, Anaheims etc. They are all super flavorful!
- Use high heat – a good char is key to flavorful peppers! Most of the skin will come off when you peel / slice so not to worry if the outside becomes totally black.
- Direct heat is best! Unless you want to take a long time to char, use high heat and let the peppers get in there and start to blister.
- Rotate. Turn the peppers with a pair of tongs every 3ish minutes once the skin is charred until the entire pepper is uniformly charred.
- Be patient when it comes to peeling. Once the peppers are charred, I like to put them in a plastic bag or bowl and cover with plastic wrap to let them steam. This makes the skin even easier to peel off.
My favorite way to eat peppers! Literally made these all summer
This is the perfect combination of flavors. It’s smokey, salty, acid, heat, fat from the oil, and bright with the herbs. I usually put the peppers on top of a bed of arugula which I think is perfect. BEST SALAD EVER.
This sounds amazing. I plan to take it to a friend’s house as the “salad”. My husband says it’s not a salad bc it doesn’t have lettuce/greens.... So what do you think about adding some arugula? Would it be too bitter of a choice? HELP!
Arugula would be a great addition!
This recipe was a huge hit with my family. I used Shishito, red bell peppers and a couple of poblanos. I added a sliced yellow onion that I grilled in my grill box. Tossed everything in the vinaigrette with fresh basil, mint and topped with sliced feta. I used this as a side to grilled bratwurst sausages. This made an easy, all cooked on the grill summer meal. Great recipe!
Mmmmm. Grilled peppers are one of my favorites! Brings back such great childhood memories of my dad sweating the peppers in newspaper packets for easy peeling. That was my job!
This looks delicious!