I got quite excited at the idea of making my own and kept thinking of what an excellent accompaniment they were to a cold beer or chilled glass of wine - great for serving at a party or gathering. So of course I went on a mission to find a recipe and experiment!
Searching the internet, I found many different versions. They seem to have Spanish origins, though how authentic the recipes were that I found, I can't be sure. My first attempt was just 'okay' - I followed fairly carefully a recipe that sounded pretty good, but just didn't deliver quite enough tangy, punchy flavour.
For my next try, I played around with amounts of ingredients and added a small amount of smoked paprika and sugar which really added an extra element that the seeds needed.
Easy, tasty and healthy - what more could you want from a snack?
Ingredients:
300g raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder (or more if you like it HOT!)
1 tbsp light oil (I used light olive, but any light flavoured seed oil would also work)
Juice of 1 lime
Method:
Preheat an oven to 190 degrees celsius (175 for fan forced).
Place pepitas in a medium bowl. Combine salt, sugar and spices in a separate small bowl.
Add spiced salt mix to pepitas along with oil and lime juice and stir well so that seeds are evenly coated with flavourings. At this point, the seeds will seem a little wet with the juice but don't worry, moisture will evaporate during cooking.
Pour pepitas into a large metal oven tray (I used a rectangular slice tin but any tray or tin that allows for an even and not too thick layer of seeds will do)
Place in oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until moisture has evaporated and seeds are browned and crispy. Give the seeds a stir about halfway through cooking to allow even browning. It's also good to check them pretty regularly after the 20 minute mark as they can quickly turn from nicely browned to burnt at this stage!
After cooking, they should look something like this:
And will smell amazing and taste even better :)
Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container if making ahead. They really taste best while still warm though!
