September is the peak of the almond season in the United States. If you are fortunate enough to have fresh almonds readily available to you, enjoy them! 

Those that do not have an almond harvest underway can still enjoy the tasty, nut-like seed in a number of ways. One of my favorite methods is soaking the almonds in a flavorful saltwater brine, then roasting them until they are richly brown all the way through. 

These work great as a snack on their own, as a salad topping, or mixed into a trail mix.

A note on brining

Brining is a kitchen technique that soaks a piece of food — often meat — in a saltwater solution. This is often done before cooking, especially for lean meats like turkey or pork. Here, the technique is used to prep the almonds for roasting. 

Brining the almonds allows not only for higher flavor from the salt, chilis, and citrus, but it also adds moisture to allow a longer cooking time without burning the almonds. This results in a toasty, deeply-roasted flavor that provides a great foundation for the spicy, citrusy, and salty aspects of the finished nuts. 

Deep-Roasted Orange-Chili Almonds

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

5 cups water

⅓ cup kosher salt

12–15 chilis de árbol, divided

2 T dried orange peel

1 T dried rosemary

1 ½ lb raw whole almonds

2 T vegetable oil

4 springs fresh rosemary to garnish

Flake sea salt or other finishing salt

1. Combine water, kosher salt, 8–10 chilis, orange peel, and dried rosemary in a large saucepot and bring to a boil, stirring until salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and add almonds.
2. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 375*F.
4. Drain almonds well, reserving liquid for another use (I store it in the fridge and use it to flavor quinoa cooking liquid). Toss almonds and remaining 4–5 chilis with oil and spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until completely dried out — about 40–55 minutes — stirring every 15 minutes or so. They will smell pretty amazing at this point, and be a toasted brown color all the way through.
5. Pull them out of the oven and stir, then allow to cool. Don’t cover them or put them in a bowl — the condensation from the heat will make them soggy.
6. After the almonds cool, remove the chilis. Heat a little oil on the stove, then add the fresh rosemary leaves (removed from the stem) and some dried orange peel. Fry for about 35 seconds, then drain on a paper towel.
7. Toss together almonds, flake salt, and rosemary/orange mixture. Serve.

Almonds can be roasted up to 3 days ahead. When dry and cool, pack in an airtight container and store at room temperature. 

What if I don’t like almonds?

Brining and roasting in this style works well with thick-flesh nuts, like almonds and hazelnuts. Softer nuts, like pecans and walnuts, don’t need as much time to roast or to brine. I usually use a dry-roasting method for softer nuts. 

You can get a similar flavor profile while roasting soft nuts (like pecans or walnuts) by powdering chilis, orange peel, salt, and rosemary together, then tossing the pecans or walnuts in a little oil (add honey if you like) and seasoning them with the spice mix, as follows.

Chili-Rosemary-Orange Walnuts

3 cups walnut or pecan halves

2 Tbsp oil

2 Tbsp honey, if you like

1 ½ tsp dried rosemary leaves

2 tsp kosher salt

½–1 tsp red pepper flakes

½–1 tsp orange peel

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.
2. Grind the rosemary, chili flakes, orange peel, and salt together with a mortar and pestle. Mix together in a large bowl with the oil and honey (if using), then add the nuts and toss to combine.
3. Spread nuts out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 8–12 minutes, or until fragrant and golden. Remove from the oven and cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.