Red Alert! The Spotlight’s On Paprika

From mild to mouth-tingling, there’s an appetising variety of paprika on hand to add flavour and that tell-tale colour to food. Learn all about it in the latest instalment of our spice series.

This punchy spice starts out life as certain varieties of red pepper, which are dried and then ground up to a fine powder. The type of peppers used as well as how it’s made varies massively, resulting in a flavour scale from sweet and mild to smoky and fiery.

Paprika crops up in all kinds of dishes from tasty stews and curries to dazzling marinades and deeply flavoured cured sausages like chorizo and salami. It’s an integral ingredient in Hungarian cuisine as well as Spanish staple (where it goes by the name of pimentón).

When buying paprika, know what you want from it before choosing. Standard paprika is mild with a hint of sweetness and mainly good for colouring a dish, where as hot paprika will pack a punch and smoked paprika brings a deep, smoky flavour.

If you fancy making your own paprika, here’s how. Too much faff? Yep, us too. Try DIY paprika oil or this handy paprika dry rub recipe instead.

As with the rest of your spice collection, store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. It’s at its best for about six months, so use it up with our selection of cracking paprika recipes.

Apart from sprinkling on devilled eggs, the easiest way to cook with paprika has to be cheeky paprika chips or this sensational baked paprika cheese.

This gnocchi with mushrooms and paprika butter makes good use of hot smoked paprika and it’s a belter of a recipe for a quick and comforting feed.

Smoked paprika is a brilliant match for something fishy; try it in this Spanish paprika fiery fish. Use hake or any solid white fish – or even salmon – and serve with rice or fried potatoes.

This paella-style smoky paprika seafood rice is ticking all the boxes for us – healthy, easy and sooo delicious.

If you’re in the mood for showing off, these Portuguese prawn cakes are little parcels of food heaven. They’re all kinds of fiddly but well worth the effort if you’re up for a challenge.

This perfectly spiced, slow roasted Moroccan lamb is ludicrously tender. Tear apart, sprinkle with fresh mint and toasted flaked almonds and gobble up with a side of warm crusty bread.

You can’t have a blog on paprika without giving goulash a mention. A tasty version of Hungary’s national dish can even be knocked up in an air fryer (if you don’t have the super-duper ActiFry app, try this version.

And for sweet? Finish up with these paprika chocolate chip cookies, they have an irresistibly warm, lightly spiced flavour. We’re guarentee they won’t hang around for long once those freshly baked aromas get out!