Some Dallas area restaurants and grocery stores are pulling jalapeños from their shelves and menus in response to the Food and Drug Administration's finding of a salmonella-tainted jalapeño.

El Ranchito, Pedrito's and Gloria's restaurants in Oak Cliff have pulled jalapeños from their menus or substituted them in sauces.

Fiesta supermarkets and grocery chain H-E-B, which owns Central Market, have also stopped selling them.

The FDA is recommending that consumers avoid eating raw jalapeños after a contaminated pepper was found in a produce distribution center in South Texas. The produce is of Mexican origin, but it is unclear where it became contaminated, according to the FDA.

Though they're not obliged to do it, many restaurants are going along with the suggestion to protect their customers.

"We've been here for 30 years and we don't want to take the risk," said José Montoya, manager of Pedrito's on Jefferson Boulevard. The Mexican restaurant is using arbol chile peppers rather than stop producing spicy sauce.

"The jalapeño market has basically been shut down," said John McClung, president of the Texas Produce Association. "

But seek and one shall find the notorious jalapeño.

Elena Rocha, owner of I. Rocha Produce, said she would continue to sell the peppers at the Dallas Farmers Market.

"People look for it," she said. In the last two months, she has not heard of anyone getting sick, she said.

Subway restaurants are not getting rid of their jalapeños, either. They carry processed jalapenos. Those have not been red flagged, said Les Winograd, public relations coordinator with Subway.

Wendy Saari, director of communications for the Texas Restaurant Association, said the group's role is to provide information for its members, but the choice to remove ingredients is made by individual restaurateurs.