A smouldering skillet of melted cheese filled with spicy roasted poblano peppers and served with freshly made tortilla chips!
Meet the holy grail of cheesy appetizers! Queso fundido, or queso flameado as it’s also called, is a dish popular in northern Mexico and in the United States where it is considered a native to El Paso. Traditionally it is made with spicy chorizo sausage but I like to give it a vegetarian twist by adding spicy, roasted poblano peppers. Topped with a zesty salsa and served with warm, fresh made tortilla chips this roasted poblano queso fundido is the cheesy appetizer of your dreams!
Ingredient Notes
Cheese: You can’t make queso fundido without a lot of queso! Which begs the question, which kind of cheese should you use? In Mexico, melting cheeses like Oaxaca and Chihuahua are popular choices and I highly recommend sourcing out one or both. If you aren’t able to source those in your area then a great substitution would be monterey jack cheese which has a similar melting quality. In a pinch you could also use mozzarella cheese. I was lucky enough to find some Oaxaca cheese so I used a blend of that with some monterey jack which turned out perfect!
Poblano peppers: Poblano peppers are large like a bell pepper but have a tapered end and are a dark green in colour. They have a nice amount of spiciness too. Roasting the peppers has the advantage of imparting a smoky flavour while also removing the unappetizing skin. I highly suggest roasting them if you can. If you want to save time then simply sauté the diced poblano peppers, but you will be missing out on great roasted flavour!
Corn tortillas: In Mexico, this dish is often served with warm tortillas for scooping up the cheese. However, I am partial to a warm, freshly made tortilla chip instead. Making your own tortilla chips may seem like a needless extra step but it’s definitely worth it. Once you taste a homemade tortilla chip, you’ll have a hard time going back to the store bought variety. Luckily they are super easy to make, all you need are some corn tortillas.
Vegetable oil: Use a neutral vegetable or canola oil for frying the tortilla chips.
How to Make Roasted Poblano Queso Fundido
Roast the poblano peppers
Roasting poblano peppers is easy if you have a gas range. Place the peppers directly on the grate over the gas flame and allow to cook until the skin is completely blackened. Use tongs to flip the peppers until the peppers are completely blackened on all sides. Once the skin is charred, it will be easier to scrape off.
If you don’t have a gas range you can broil the peppers in the oven to blacken the skin. Simply cut the peppers in half and place skin side up on a baking sheet. Broil on high flame until the skin surface is completely blackened.
Immediately place the blackened peppers into a bowl and cover with cling film. The steam generated will soften the blackened skin and make the peppers easier to peel. After about 30 minutes, take the peppers out and cut them open. Scrape out the white core and seeds. Use the back of a paring knife to scrape the blackened skin off the peppers. I like to rinse them off at the end to remove as much of the blackened bits as possible.
Dice the roasted peppers and set aside. The poblano peppers can be roasted ahead of time and refrigerated until use.
Fry the tortilla chips
It really couldn’t be any simpler to make your corn tortilla chips. Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large deep pot. Cut the corn tortillas into wedges. Line a baking sheet with a rack or paper towels and have nearby.
When the oil reaches 350 deg F you can begin to fry. Scatter a large handful of tortilla wedges into the hot oil. Immediately begin to gently stir and toss them in the oil with a slotted spoon. Keep moving the chips so that they fry evenly.
After 2 to 3 minutes the tortilla chips will begin to harden and turn a golden brown. Scoop them out of the hot oil and allow to drain briefly before transferring to the rack-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Repeat until you have used all the corn tortillas.
These tortilla chips really taste best served the day you make them. You can certainly make them a few hours before serving and leave them at room temperature. Store in a sealed container or bag if storing overnight.
Prepare the fresh salsa
Finely dice the tomatoes and red onion then transfer to a small bowl. Finely mince the jalapeño pepper and add to the tomatoes along with the chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Chill until you’re ready to serve.
Make the roasted poblano queso fundido recipe in a cast iron skillet
Turn the broiler on high. Begin by shredding both cheeses and set aside. Finely mince the garlic.
I prefer to use a cast iron skillet for this dish but you can use any oven safe skillet. Heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté briefly until fragrant. Add the diced poblano peppers and sprinkle with salt. Briefly sauté the peppers then spread out evenly in the skillet.
Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over the peppers and let cook for a minute until the cheese just begins to melt on the bottom. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until the cheese is fully melted and browning on top.
Remove the skillet from the oven. Top with the fresh salsa then serve immediately with the tortilla chips and enjoy!
Serving and Pairing Suggestions
Queso fundido is one of those dishes that needs to be eaten as soon as it’s made. Since it’s made simply with melted cheese, it will begin to harden as it cools down. You can reheat it if the cheese begins to harden but its best eaten right away.
For a fabulous happy hour serve this roasted poblano queso fundido with my Coconut Prawns with Two Dipping Sauces and a fun tropical cocktail!
Here are a few tropical cocktail pairing suggestions:
- Fassionola Rum Cocktail ~ a passion fruit forward cocktail with a blend of rums
- Fassionola Sunrise ~ bright, citrusy with a pineapple punch
- Strawberry Basil Margarita ~ perfect during strawberry season
- Spiced Blood Orange Margarita ~ a hint of spice in this warming cocktail
