by Bottom Line: The Hatch chili does not deliver a lot of heat, but they make up for that with their flavor and have many uses.
Hatch chili season is upon us, and you will start to see these peppers popping up in stores and on menus for the next few months. These chilis are grown in Hatch, New Mexico (thus the name), and they look very similar to New Mexico chilis and/or Anaheim chilis. They have become very popular over the last few years, with the fresh pods showing up in stores in late summer and sticking around through the early fall months.
Hatch, New Mexico, offers ideal growing conditions for these chilis with the combination of the region’s hot days, cool nights, and mineral-rich soil (Hatch Valley was once the floodplain for the Rio Grande valley). Most of the varieties of chilis cultivated in this area have been developed by the University of New Mexico to take advantage of the unique soil and deliver a distinct flavor to the peppers. The farmers that work the land have been farming for generations, and many are descendants of Joseph Franzoy, the first commercial chile farmer. The harvesting period generally runs from August to September, though in good years, it can go longer.
The Hatch chili has a sweetness and earthiness to it, with maybe some slight hints of berries. It also delivers that unique flavor that can only be described as the green chili taste. It is very similar to the New Mexico, Pueblo, and Anaheim chilis, which are all variations of the Capsicum annuum. I have never done a side-by-side taste comparison of the Hatch to the other varieties, but the people from Hatch Valley will certainly tell you theirs are the best. (Of course, so will the people from Anaheim, Pueblo, and other places that grow this type of chili.) Heat-wise, these come in on the lower side of the Scoville Scale, ranging from 500 to 2,500 SHU, though some varieties can get hotter. (In comparison, the jalapeno ranges from 2,000 to 8,000 SHU.)
The Hatch chili has a variety of uses, expanded by the fact that they are a larger pod. They can, of course, be used in salsas and sauces, but they are actually quite good for stuffing. Roasted and filled with cheese, meat, or other ingredients, they can act as a substitute for the Poblano in chili rellenos or other dishes that call for stuffed peppers. Probably the most common use you will find throughout the Southwest is to roast them (more on that here) and make a green chili sauce or stew (you can find my recipe for that here).
As with any of the New Mexico-style chilis, the Hatch can be dried, and these will generally have a reddish/mahogany color. These are often used to make the iconic ristras, and they will have an earthier, more intense taste and usually a little more heat. These have many uses, but in particular, they are cooked up as a red chili sauce that is often paired with green chili sauce in Southwest cuisine, and you can find my recipe for that here.
As mentioned, the Hatch chili season is kicking off right about now, so you will be seeing these in the stores over the coming months, along with all sorts of products that use the peppers, including salsas, sausages, cheeses, bacon, chicken, ribs, and even cookies! There should also be plenty of the fresh chilis available in the produce section, and some stores (including my local HEB) will roast them on-site and sell them like that. (And those freeze well so that you can stock up and use them throughout the year). If you really want to celebrate the Hatch chili, there is a festival each year that takes place over Labor Day weekend. You can find information on that here.
