Essential Habanero Hot Sauce

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This is the latest recipe in Nancy’s never ending quest to duplicate that wonderful Caribbean hot sauce that we love. Fresh, frozen, or pickled habaneros can all be used, but if using pickled chiles, there is no need to rinse them. Adjust the heat by adding fewer habaneros, not by increasing the carrots as this can alter the flavor. This version of the recipe is designed to be processed in a water bath.

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups chopped carrots

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 1½ cups white vinegar

  • 1/4 cup lime juice

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons salt

  • 10 to 12 habanero chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients, except for the habaneros, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until the carrots are soft.

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain for a smoother sauce.

Pour in sterilized jars and process in a water bath as described above.

Piri Piri Sauce

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Cuvée Executive Chef Dean Brunner notes: “It consists of habaneros (and a few other seriously hot donations from local fans), plus jalapeños. We like the burn to have great spirit but also be well balanced.” He suggests marinating the shrimp in the sauce for at least an hour before grilling them.

Ingredients

  • 1 red bell bepper, seeds and stems removed, coarsely chopped

  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeds and stems removed, coarsely chopped

  • 4 jalapeno chiles, seeds and stems removed, coarsely chopped

  • 4 mirasol chiles, seeds and stems removed, coarsely chopped

  • 4 habanero chiles, seeds and stems removed, coarsely chopped

  • 2 rocotillo chiles, seeds and stems removed, coarsely chopped (or substitute serranos)

  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

  • 1 cup white wine vinegar

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a blender or food processor. Pulse blend until somewhat smooth. Pour into a jar and mix in the oil and salt and pepper. Note that chiles vary with seasonal availability.

Louisiana-Type Hot Sauce

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This recipe is from The Hot Sauce Bible, by Dave DeWitt and Chuck Evans. They say that the key to success with this sauce is to use fresh rather than dried chiles and that any small fresh hot chile can be used.

Ingredients

  • 15 to 20 large fresh Tabasco chiles, stems and seeds removed, cut in half lengthwise, or substitute fresh piquins or cayennes

  • 2 cloves garlic, cut in half

  • ½ cup distilled white vinegar

  • Salt to taste

Instructions

Place the chiles, cut side down, on a broiler rack. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the skin blisters and blackens. Transfer the peppers to a paper bag and let stand for about 10 minutes. Peel the chiles when cool.

 

Place the chiles and garlic in a blender or food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the vinegar until the mixture is well blended. Add salt to taste. Keep covered and refrigerated until you use it.

Yield: ½ cup

Heat Scale: Hot

 

K.B.’s Goat Pepper Sauce

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It’s really exciting to discover a unique but authentic island hot sauce recipe! This makes enough sauce to last for maybe a year in the refrigerator. Note that it is uncooked. Grind or process the peppers in a well-ventilated space, or preferably outdoors. Warning: the heat level of this sauce is off the scale, so use it sparingly. The Bahamas have an extensive sea salt extraction operation, so that is the preferred salt.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound goat peppers (habaneros), seeds and stems removed, halved

  • ½ pound garlic, peeled

  • White vinegar as needed

  • Sea salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon

  • Olive oil as needed

Instructions

In a food processor, combine, in small batches, the goat peppers and garlic and puree into a paste. Make sure that the peppers and garlic are well mixed. Place in a large jar and cover with vinegar. Add the sea salt and mix well. Then pour 2 inches of olive oil on top of the mix. K.B. says the oil keeps the air out and preserves the pepper.

 

K.B.’s Bird Pepper Rub

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Another incredibly hot condiment, this rub should be used sparingly. You can use any piquins, chiltepins, tabascos, or other small, hot chiles in this recipe. It is good to coat fish to be grilled or conch to be fried up in oil. Rub the mixture lightly onto the fish fillet or conch. Squirt lime juice over the food. Then seal in a zip bag for 2 to 3 hours before cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1 handful (½ cup) bird peppers, fresh or dried

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)

  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

Instructions

In a mortar, grind together all the ingredients into a paste.