Meditations

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds


Scooping out the pumpkin

A big Halloween tradition in our house is the roasting of the pumpkin seeds. I’m sure there are some people that think one would have to be out their gourd to do this, but I assure you, given it’s variations, it is a taste for everyone. First of all let me tell you up front that this is dead easy and even your kids can have fun doing it while they carve the pumpkin. Of course these activities involve both a hot oven and a sharp knife, so I think maybe you should still be in the room.

The hardest part of the process is getting the seeds out of the (now) Jack-O-Lantern. It appears easier to reach in and grab the seeds before you start gouging the out the gourd. 90% of the seeds are easily gathered this way. They are slippery little things and they squirt through your grip into your waiting collander. At this point you should be pre-heating your oven to about 275°.

Separated pumpkin seeds in a collanderThe guts of the pumkin
Once you have separated the guts from the seeds, rinse the seed pods under warm water to get them clean and spread them out on a tea towel and pad them dry. You can at this point let them dry overnight, soak them in salted water overnight for a saltier finish if you wish or, for extra crispy seeds, put them in the microwave for a coulpa minutes.
After any of these options, pat them dry. Then we make the coating…

Some use vegetable oil but I’m for using real melted butter. Add salt to taste. Sea salt is always better I find. Then use your spicy imaginations to concoct your personal coating. I might suggest some sort of combination of the following: garlic, onion powder, pepper, coriander, chili powder and or cayenne for some heat. Sweeter options could include cinnamon and sugar, with or without the salt.
I dump this all into a bowl or Ziploc bag with the seeds to coat them liberally.

Roasting the seeds at 275°
Spread them out in a single layer on a flat non stick sheet and slam it into the waiting oven. It should only take about 40mins and the trick is not to over toast them, so you should stir them around every 10 mins and respread.

Finished pumkin seeds, roasted golden brown.

These golden browned seeds are delicious and the amount of fibre content is astounding. Create a batch just to sprinkle on salads.
The real trick is to treat yourself.

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4 Responses to “Roasting Pumpkin Seeds”

  1. Posted on November 2nd, 2010

    Ben made some delicious ones with truffle, honey and maldon and some more with BBQ spice. Yum!

  2. Posted on November 2nd, 2010

    ohhhhhghhhhhrrrrrrr… truffle… I gotta try that next year!

  3. Posted on November 8th, 2010

    Miles, thank you SO MUCH for sharing this! We tried it tonight after following your directions and it was addictive in a popcorn kind of way. Brilliant, easy & delicious!

  4. Posted on November 17th, 2010

    Great post Miles, thanks, and it had been so long since I made these that I had to google how to do it! Degan beat me to it, but yeah, the truffle honey Maldon salt was a good one. I think instead of using truffle honey, next time I will use white truffle oil, sugar and Maldon. That way the cooled seeds will not be as sticky. An overnight soak in salt water would certainly add a bit more depth of flavour too I think. Can’t wait until next year now!

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