This is my favorite thing to do with late season chile peppers. They keep for the entire year if stored correctly — submerged in their brine in the fridge. They make a perfection addition to shakshukah, salsas, and as a topping for everything and anything from deviled eggs, to roasted potatoes. Always wear gloves when slicing chile. You will live to regret it if you forgo the protection!

• 2.5 cups water
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 10 cups hot chiles, deseeded and sliced ¼” thick
• 6 cups mild peppers, deseeded and sliced ¼” thick
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 5” x 7” sheets of kombu, sliced ¼” thick
• Plastic gloves
• Large glass 68 oz canning jar
• Small ramekin

To create the brine, combine salt and water in a medium saucepan and simmer until salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Wearing gloves, slice and deseed spicy and mild peppers. The size is up to you, but I like to go for a thin, ⅛” sliver. Add them to a salad spinner and submerge in cold water. Rinse to make sure any residual seeds fall to the bottom. Repeat this a few times, changing out the water in between.

Layer peppers in the glass canning jar with garlic and kombu, leaving 2” at the top. When all the ingredients have been added to the container, pound them down using a blunt object or your fist. Pour cooled brine over top, leaving one inch of space at the top. Place your ramekin inside to keep the peppers under the brine.

Place in a cool, dark place and “burp” the ferment daily to allow gas to release. It should be bubbling when you open it up. Taste it after a few days, and when the funk level is to your like, transfer the jar to the fridge. The peppers will keep for up to a year.