Hidalgo Serrano
Also known as Hidalgo · Hidalgo chili · chile Hidalgo · Serrano Hidalgo · TAM Hidalgo Serrano
A prolific Hidalgo-highland serrano released by Texas A&M as a milder, virus-resistant open-pollinated strain. Light-green finger peppers ripen to bright scarlet and bring clean, fruity heat to salsa, pickles, and hot sauce.
Growing
~75 days to maturity
Fruit size
5.5–8 cm
Flavor & Use
Bright, fruity heat that lingers at the front of the mouth, with the clean grassy bite typical of a serrano. Slightly milder and fruitier than a standard supermarket serrano.
Culinary
About
Hidalgo Serrano is an open-pollinated Capsicum annuum serrano named for the mountainous Mexican state of Hidalgo. Texas A&M released ‘Hidalgo’ in 1984–86 as a compact, early selection with resistance to tobacco mosaic, tobacco etch, potato Y, and pepper mottle viruses and slightly lower heat than commercial serranos such as Pánuco, Altamira, and Tampiqueño. Plants are highly productive and typically pubescent, with fuzzy light-green leaves and stems and white flowers; height ranges from about 55 cm in pots to over a meter in the open garden. Fruits are chubby, blunt-tipped cylinders about 6–8 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, ripening from light green to bright scarlet, with thin walls and a long seed cavity. They are a natural fit for pico de gallo, salsa, pickles, and hot sauce, picked green for a crisp bite or ripened red for a sweeter cooked sauce.
Backstory
Serrano chiles take their name from the sierras of Hidalgo and Puebla, Mexico, where they have long been grown as a fresh salsa pepper. In 1984–86 Benigno Villalon at Texas A&M’s Weslaco station released an open-pollinated, multiple-virus-resistant large serrano named ‘Hidalgo’ (PI 342947 × Avelar, backcrossed to PI 342947; HortScience 21:540–541). Texas AgriLife still identifies garden-seed stock sold by Fedco and others as that TAM Hidalgo Serrano line. Catalog copy that says the pepper “originated in the mountainous regions of Hidalgo” refers to the namesake highlands and the Mexican serrano-type parent, not a separate landrace. Seed Savers Exchange first listed Hidalgo in 1991 (Donald C. Kellums, from Baxter Seed Co.).
Appearance
Growing
Heritage
ExploreHidalgo Serrano is a backcross involving PI 342947 and Avelar.
Benigno Villalon · 1986
Parents
Sources
FAQ
- How hot is Hidalgo Serrano?
- Capsi’s sourced range is 17,500 SHU (Official breeder). Capsi uses a sourced range and a trust tier, not a single marketing number. How we verify heat: https://web.thecapsi.app/learn/heat-and-capsaicin/how-we-measure-heat
- What does Hidalgo Serrano taste like?
- Bright, fruity heat that lingers at the front of the mouth, with the clean grassy bite typical of a serrano. Slightly milder and fruitier than a standard supermarket serrano.
- How do I grow Hidalgo Serrano?
- Hidalgo Serrano: about 75 days to maturity, subtropical climate, full sun, hardiness zones 9-11.
- What can I substitute for Hidalgo Serrano?
- Serrano, Jalapeño