habanero hot sauce

Ever ask yourself what’s our love affair with pepper sauce? What is about Caribbean people and the heat we’re always seeking? I’m sure not everyone from the Caribbean is into the hot stuff, but a good majority of us are and we’re influencing so many thousands of people across the globe with the recipes we share. To date there’s about eight pepper sauce recipes I’ve posted and that’s just a teaser into how creative I can get when it comes to making that liquid dynamite we call pepper sauce.

Here’s one I made recently which is packed with heat, but the rich undertones of oranges and pineapple gives it that unique Caribbean vibe. This orange pineapple pepper sauce is a personal fave of mine, especially when BBQ season comes around, so I do hope you give it a try.

You’ll Need…

1 1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar (golden)
1 cup pineapple chunks
1/4 teaspoon allspice
15 scotch bonnet peppers

Notes: I used store bought orange juice (get the good stuff – no pulp, but nice and thick) and the pineapple came from a can. I got the chunks, with syrup (use the syrup as well). Remember when handling scotch bonnet peppers to use caution as they are VERY hot. Use gloves and don’t include the seeds if you’re overly concerned about the extreme heat. Remember to wash your hands a couple times with soap when you’re done and don’t touch anyone or yourself before you to. If you can’t source scotch bonnet peppers (complain to your grocer) use Habanero peppers.. they are just as deadly.

Wash and give the scotch bonnet peppers a rough chop to make it easier work for your blender or food processor. (again – do wear gloves)

All we need to do now is add all the ingredients into the food processor and give it a few pulses to start. Then work it until you have a smooth consistency. Do remember to add the juice/syrup the pineapple is packed in (if you’re using canned pineapple chunks as I did).

Tip: remember to have your kitchen windows open as the peppers are very hot and with the blending, it may cause you to choke. (also, be careful when washing your food processor.. don’t stand above it as the water falls on it) Follow the same procedure when the pepper puree is cooking (see below)

When you’ve achieved a smooth consistency, add the mixture (be careful when pouring it out) to a deep saucepan and on medium heat bring it up to a boil. Then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. You can now allow it to cool before you pour it into the bottle you’re serving it from or if you’re doing the canning method.. pour it while it’s hot into the mason jar.If you want the sauce to be even smoother, you can return it back to your food processor or blender and work it for another minute. Try not to go past 30 seconds to 1 minute or risk it going frothy.

This pepper sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for about 6-8 weeks, but you may find that you’ll need to give it a shake before using and it will loose some of it’s kick while in the fridge. If you’re looking for more exciting hot sauce / pepper sauce recipes, click on “Bits and Bites” above and go through the listings. Additionally, there should be some shared below where it says “similar recipes”.

I encourage you to give this recipe a try, but be aware that it’s lethal and do be careful as you work with the scotch bonnet peppers. The last thing I need is you emailing me saying that your hands are on fire because you didn’t take me seriously and wear gloves. Or worst case.. you touched your eyes or somewhere even more sensitive!

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Sauces & Condiments

Blazing Mango Peach Hot Sauce.

May 28, 2025April 16, 20127 Comments

A significant part of Caribbean cuisine must be the many hot sauces or pepper sauce as it’s commonly known throughout the islands and our appreciation for such sauces. Not only will you find different variations of these explosive sauces from island to island… in just about every home you’ll find a unique recipe as well. Over the years I’ve been experimenting with different ingredients to create some tantalizing hot sauces, so this mango peach hot sauce is just me being creative and using what’s around me. I like to refer to this hot sauce as being where the Caribbean and Canada collide!

You’ll Need…

10 Scotch Bonnet peppers (or habanero)
1 cup mango nectar or juice
1 cup peach (with syrup)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup vinegar

Notes: You’ll notice that I used the entire pepper. I wanted the raw explosive heat.. if you want to tame it down a bit, you can discard the seeds and white sort of membrane surrounding the seeds. That’s where the majority heat is when it comes to hot peppers, like the scotch bonnet and habanero. Remember to wear gloves when handling these peppers as they can cause some problems for sensitive hands. If you don’t have gloves coat your hands with some vegetable oil at least.

Remove the stems off the peppers and wash. Drain and give a rough chop..same for the cilantro. Then place all ingredients in a deep saucepan and bring to a boil.

The idea is to gently cook the peppers and infuse the sauce with the goodness of the peaches, garlic,, cilantro and mango juice. I used canned peaches, so i included the syrup it came with a swell. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

Your kitchen will have a strong scent of cooking peppers (spicy) so you may need to open your kitchen window or turn on the vent fan above your stove. You’ll notice that everything will go a bit pale as it cooks, but that’s normal.

After 20 minutes of cooking (remember to stir a few times) allow to cool before putting into your food processor or blender, or risk getting burned when it splatters.

Now place everything from the pot into the food processor and give it a few pulses.. then blend for a minute or two. Try not to over-blend or it will go frothy and ruin the texture (not my liking). You’ll now have a wicked hot sauce flavored with the mango and peach. It will be thick, but runny enough (smooth) to place in a squeeze bottle.

Don’t be fooled with this hot sauce wonderful fruity fragrance… it will be like rocket fuel. Store in the fridge up to 6 weeks. Directly below you’ll see some links to other hot sauce recipes I’ve shared in previous posts.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Sauces & Condiments

A quick pepper sauce when you need a little “zing”.

May 28, 2025January 18, 201013 Comments

habanero hot sauce recipe For those of you who’ve been following my updates on FierceSauces.com will know that I have a growing collection of hot sauces (peppa sauce as we say in Trinidad and Tobago) and I use this affair I have with spicy sauces to write short reviews. Though I purchase new ones every time I come across varieties I don’t already have, I can honestly say that nothing beats a “fresh” made sauce.

Here’s a simple recipe for a very quick hot sauce that packs a wicked punch. It’s sure to add some zing to whatever meal or snack you introduce it to. For me it was a case of having some jerk pork tenderloin I just took off the grill and I craved a fresh peppa sauce to top the thinly sliced pieces of pork to enjoy while I watched play-off football this weekend.

*This makes about 1 1/2 cups of hot sauce.

You’ll Need…

1 teaspoon salt
4-6 cloves garlic
20 habanero or scotch bonnet peppers (use any hot pepper you like and can tolerate)
3/4 cup vinegar
1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
4 mild peppers (banana, Cubanelle, Hungarian Yellow, Biscayne Sweet.. etc)

Before we get to the actual process, I must mention that the peppers I used were all frozen. Every spring I plant an assortment of hot peppers, including my favourite… the habanero. When I reap them in the fall, I place them in freezer-lock bags and keep them secure in the freezer. I then have enough peppers to last me until next harvest. So if you ever have an abundance of peppers, do remember that you can freeze them. During the winter months the very same peppers sell for between $7 and $11 a pound in the local super markets so I can’t afford them. Luckily I have my supply in our freezer.

Wash and remove the stems from the peppers and chop roughly (wear gloves if you’re using scotch bonnet or habanero). Then do the same with the garlic and cilantro so it’s easy to work with in the food processor.

Add everything to a blender or food processor and process for a couple minutes. Try to get a smooth consistency but try not to overwork it, since we don’t want to add too much air and risk it getting foamy.

Taste for salt (if you’re getting a sort of raw taste with no flavour except the heat of the pepper, add a little more salt)

*Fresh squeezed lime or lemons also add another lovely level of flavour to this sauce.

Place in a jar and use as needed. Normally since we used vinegar as the liquid in the sauce, you should not have to refrigerate it. However it may be a good idea to place it in fridge just as a precaution. Please note though that the sauce will loose a bit of it’s heat the longer it stays in the fridge.

trinidad hot suace recipe