Sea salt and black pepper popcorn is a quick and easy snack to make. It combines the standard saltiness that you normally have with popcorn, together with a bit of a kick from the black pepper. A great snack to take to work or school.
Salt And Pepper Popcorn
Sea salt and black pepper popcorn is a great little twist on normal salted popcorn. You still get the normal salty popcorn but you also get a little bit of kick from the pepper.
This popcorn recipe is really simple and the flavoring is made from easy to find pantry ingredients (salt and pepper). You can use normal table salt and cracked black pepper, instead of sea salt and whole peppercorns, to get a similar flavor and result.
This is a vegetarian and vegan friendly snack. It is also very allergy friendly, being gluten-free, dairy-free and suitable for most other allergies.
Salt And Pepper Seasoning
To make the salt and pepper seasoning all you need to do is (unsurprisingly) grind together some salt and pepper. The amount of pepper will be a bit less than the amount of salt as it can be quite an overwhelming flavor. Even with this amount of pepper some people may find it a bit too much, so feel free to alter it to suit taste.
With most seasonings for popcorn it is best to get them as fine as possible. This will help the seasoning stick to the popcorn better. To do this easily, use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder.
You can substitute the whole peppercorns for cracked black pepper or ground black pepper. You can also substitute the sea salt for regular table salt or any other type of salt. If you are using ground pepper, I suggest limiting the amount used to be a 1/2 teaspoon, if following the normal recipe.
If you make substitutions and the salt and pepper are fine enough (not really chunky), you can skip the grinding of the spices. Just mix the salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
Cooking Popcorn
The popcorn for this recipe will be cooked on the stovetop. For full instructions on cooking popcorn on the stove see my recipe for Simple Stovetop Popcorn. You can also just use the salt and pepper seasoning with microwave or air popped popcorn.
The basics of cooking popcorn are to heat 3 tablespoons of in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat. Place 3 popcorn kernels in it and cover the saucepan with a lid. These 3 kernels will pop when the oil and saucepan are hot enough. Once the 3 kernels pop, add in the rest of the kernels and cover the saucepan again.
The popcorn should start popping after a bit, whilst this is happening, periodically shake the saucepan to help all the kernels drop to the bottom. You also will want to periodically lift the lid slightly (lift it away from you) to release some of the steam.
Once the popping slows to once every couple of seconds, the popcorn is done. Turn off the heat and empty the popcorn into a large bowl.
The seasoning sticks to the popcorn better if applied as soon as possible after cooking. The popcorn still has residue oil on it at this point which helps the seasoning stick.
Storing Salt and Pepper Popcorn
Popcorn is always best when fresh. However it safe to eat for a couple of weeks if stored correctly. Best storage is in an air tight container or bag, at room temperature. Store any leftover salt and pepper seasoning in an air tight container. Alternatively make the seasoning in advance and store it for when you need it.
I like to portion my salt and pepper popcorn up into smaller bags to take places as snacks.
For other popcorn and snack recipes see:
Sea Salt And Black Pepper Popcorn
Ingredients
Salt and Pepper Seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt (Note 1)
- 3/4 tsp black peppercorns whole (Note 2)
Popcorn
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- 3 tbsp coconut oil or oil of choice
Instructions
Salt And Pepper Seasoning
- Combine salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Grind until fine and well mixed. (Note 3)
Popcorn
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium-low heat, along with 3 popcorn kernels. Cover the saucepan.
- Once the 3 popcorn kernels have popped, add in the rest of the kernels and cover the saucepan again.
- As the popcorn is popping, periodically shake the saucepan to cause unpopped kernels to drop to the bottom. Also periodically uncover the saucepan, away from you, to release some of the steam.
- Once the popping of the popcorn drops to once every couple of seconds, turn off the heat and empty popcorn into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle over the salt and pepper seasoning, to suit taste, and toss the popcorn until well covered by the seasoning. (Note 4)
Notes
- Can substitute sea salt with regular table salt.
- Can substitute whole peppercorns with cracked black pepper or 1/2 tsp of ground black pepper.
- If substitutions to salt and pepper have been made that are fine enough (not too chunky), you can skip the grinding process and just mix the salt and pepper together. I do still recommend grinding spices, if possible.
- Some people find the amount of pepper overwhelming, so start with less of the salt and pepper seasoning and add more as needed to suit taste.
