They are addictive! Delicious! Nutritious! And they don’t contain any evil preservatives, flavor enhancers or end up on your hips. Roasted pumpkin seeds are crisp bursts of flavor, and one of my favorite autumn snacks. And if our Beyond Wonderful photographer does not get here soon, you won’t know what they look like because I can’t stop eating them. It’s hopeless. Crunch.

Until recently, I could take or leave pumpkin seeds. Some of my batches were too salty while others were not evenly roasted (meanings lots of chewy, spitable stuff). That changed on my recent trip to Dan Avakian’s produce market where I bought lots of roasting pumpkins. I told Dan about my mediocre seeds and asked what I should do. “Didn’t I tell you how to salt and store them in the refrigerator for three days before roasting?” Well, no, he hadn’t, so I listened carefully. He detailed the salting process, then held up his huge hand, pointed his finger at me and revealed the ultimate secret. “Barbara, once you’ve salted them, all you have to do is roast your seeds on a pizza pan with holes in it in a 325-degree oven for approximately 25-30 minutes. That’s all.”

The skies did not open nor did I hear any mystical music or voices above me, so I told Dan that I was skeptical about this quick method—several of my friends slow-roast their seeds in a 200-degree oven for hours. Arching an eyebrow with great pause, Dan said, “That’s way too long for me. I’m too impatient. This works.” Armed with my new knowledge, I headed home and got to work.

There is no set recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds since your amounts will differ each time you make them. But follow these simple instructions and you’ll master the process quickly.

You’ll also be happy to know that the photographer just arrived and she is artfully styling the one cup of remaining seeds. Wait! She’s eating them. Stop!

How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds

1. Place the seeds in a colander and run cool water over them. Swish everything around with your hands and remove all of the pumpkin strings and goop.

2. Place the wet seeds in a zip-top bag and sprinkle them with salt. Seal the bag and squish to distribute the salt. Store in the refrigerator for 3 days.

3. Remove the seeds from the bag and place them on a pizza pan with holes, or a baking sheet.

4. Pat the seeds dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel.

5. Toss them lightly with melted butter or olive oil.

6. Sprinkle the seeds with your favorite herbs and spices. Do not add salt at this point or the seeds could become inedible. Personally, I prefer freshly grated Parmesan cheese and ground black pepper on my seeds. But you could try garlic powder, chili powder, curry powder or specialty and ethnic blends.

7. Toss the seeds to coat evenly.

8. Place the seasoned seeds in a preheated 325-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Be sure check the seeds halfway through the process to prevent burning.

9. Remove the pumpkin seeds from the oven and let them cool for five minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

10. Store in an airtight container. (That is if you don’t eat them all immediately.)

Print out our illustrated step-by-step How To Roast Pumpkin Seeds for easy reference.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 9th, 2008 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.