WINE & TOOLS TO USE
THE Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Garlic Chili Oil (Colu Henry-Style, With Pantry Swagger)
We reached for Colu Henry’s cookbook when we wanted a simple side that wasn’t boring, and baby…this one delivers.
The recipe calls for just a few humble ingredients: peppers, garlic, chiles, herbs, and capers. But don’t be fooled—this is a salad that performs. It’s got that slow-burn kind of depth, the kind you get from pantry staples treated like royalty.
Colu’s recipes are known for being quick but full of flavour, and this is no exception. Broiled bell peppers go from basic to blistered and silky. Then you hit them with a homemade garlic-chili oil (I used a bit less than the full ½ cup and didn’t miss a thing). Add capers for bite, fresh herbs for levity, and flaky salt because… well, because we’re not amateurs.
Ingredients Overview
- Bell peppers (red, yellow, orange if possible—green, we love you, but not today)
- Garlic, thinly sliced
- Calabrian chiles or chile flakes
- Capers (briny and bold)
- Fresh herbs (parsley + mint or basil)
- Olive oil (go for something you’d put on a salad, not your frying oil)
- Kosher salt + flaky salt
Let’s Roast, Oil, and Glow Up
- Broil the peppers: Halve, seed, and broil those beauties until the skins are charred and sexy. Let them steam in a bowl under a plate to loosen the skin.
- Make garlic-chili oil: Gently heat garlic and chiles in olive oil until golden. That smell? That’s you winning.
- Peel and slice the peppers: Once they’re cool enough, peel off the skins and slice the flesh into thin strips.
- Assemble and marinate: Toss peppers in garlic-chili oil with capers and salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes so the flavours can get to know each other.
- Top with herbs: Just before serving, scatter with chopped parsley and mint (or basil), and a sprinkle of flaky salt.
Why You’ll Love This One:
- Make-ahead magic – even better after a rest.
- Pantry-friendly – no wild goose chases at the store.
- Restaurant-level chic with home-cooked heart.
How We Made It Moody:
- Held back just a touch of the oil. Still rich, still glossy.
- Let the peppers marinate longer so the flavours really locked in.
- Used both mint and parsley—because we’re not choosing between fresh queens.
Final Mood:
“Oh this? Just something simple I threw together.”
It’s giving late summer energy, pre-fall calm. You need a salad that goes with everything, demands very little, and still stuns on the plate? This one’s for you. We served it with grilled fish and a lemony couscous situation, but honestly? It would be just as comfortable sidled up next to a panini or a bowl of white beans.
Now that summer’s winding down and fall dinner parties are back in rotation, this is the kind of dish that reminds us: the glow-up can be quiet… and still slap.
Colu Henry, we see you, and we will be making this again.
✰✰✰✰.5 star TRY
Colu Henry’s The Roasted Red Pepper Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds medium bell peppers, 680g, preferably in a variety of colours, such as red, yellow, and orange (preferably not green)
- ½ cup 75 ml olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
- 2 Calabrian chiles, thinly sliced, or ½ teaspoon chile flakes
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed well if in salt
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint or basil or both
- Flaky salt, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to broil and move the oven rack to the top to sit right below it. Cut off the tops of the peppers and remove their seeds and discard them. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, place them cut side down on a large rimmed baking sheet, and broil until the skin is charred in spots, 10 to 12 minutes, checking frequently to make sure they do not burn. Put them in a bowl and place a plate on top so they can steam; 8 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make your garlic chili oil. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and the chiles and cook until the garlic is pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to come to room temperature.
- When cool enough to touch, rub the skins from the roasted peppers and discard them. Cut the peppers into 1/4-inch-thin strips, and place them in a medium bowl. Pour the garlic chili oil over the peppers and add the capers, season with salt, and stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes for the flavors to get acquainted.
- Arrange the peppers on a medium plate or platter, scatter with the herbs and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Notes
TIME: 45 minutes COLU NOTE: If making ahead, store in the fridge in an airtight container without the herbs for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving and then garnish with the herbs. They’ll lose their color otherwise.
Did you make this recipe?
Please let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @moody.eater on Instagram and hashtag it #moodyeater #moodyeatersclub .
