Capsicums — season, tips, and recipes in Australia
Capsicums is a vegetables available in Queensland during November, December, January, February, March, April, peaking in January, February. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy capsicums, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
Green capsicums are just unripe red ones. Cheaper (less time on plant) but more bitter and less nutritious.
How to pick a good one
Red, yellow, orange are the same fruit at different ripeness. Red is sweetest. Heavy, firm, glossy, no wrinkles.
How to store it
Fridge vegetable drawer, up to two weeks. Cut capsicum use within 3 days.
Goes well with
feta: Feta's saltiness and mild acidity sit well against roasted capsicum's sweetness. The combination is Greek in origin and appears across the Mediterranean for good reason.
basil: Basil and capsicum share a summer season and similar aromatic profiles. Both contain linalool, which is partly why they taste natural together.
chorizo: Smoked paprika in chorizo is made from dried capsicums. Adding fresh capsicum to chorizo amplifies the same flavour in a concentrated form. The two are versions of the same ingredient at different points.
olive oil: Capsicum's carotenoids absorb into fat. Roasted capsicums in olive oil taste richer and more complex than capsicums alone.
Recipes
Stuffed Capsicums
Dinner. One pan.
Ingredients: 4 capsicums, 250g cooked rice, 200g mince (cooked), 1 tin tomatoes, 100g cheese, herbs
Method: Cut tops off capsicums, remove seeds. Mix rice, cooked mince, half the tomatoes, herbs. Fill capsicums. Place in dish, pour remaining tomatoes around. Top with cheese. Bake 180C for 30 min.
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Velvety, sweet, rich.
Ingredients: 4 red capsicums, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 500ml stock, 1 tbsp olive oil
Method: Halve capsicums, roast at 220C for 20 min until charred. Peel. Sweat onion and garlic. Add capsicum and stock. Simmer 10 min. Blend smooth.
Romesco Sauce
Spanish. Goes with everything grilled.
Ingredients: 2 red capsicums (roasted peeled), 50g almonds (toasted), 1 tomato, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, pinch smoked paprika
Method: Blend everything until almost smooth but still has texture. Season.
Nutrition
One red capsicum provides 300% of your daily vitamin C. Yes, three times your daily needs from one vegetable. That's 3x more than an orange. Also provides 75% of your vitamin A. Green capsicums have half the vitamin C and one-tenth the vitamin A (they're just unripe). About 37 calories per capsicum. Red capsicums are one of nature's most concentrated vitamin C sources.