Homemade Caribbean Pepper Sauce – The most amazing combination of sweet and spicy flavors that will leave you wanting more.
Happy New Years guys!!! Wishing you all the best for 2016 and may God continue to guide and protect you during this New Year.
Whether you’re a hardened pepper-head or a newcomer to the world of hot pepper sauces, this will take your taste buds for a ride. I can say for sure there isn’t any definitive way of making pepper sauce. Cause each and every person has their own way of making it. Some even have their own secret ingredient, which they will never reveal, even if you offer them your first born child.
Making pepper sauce though is quite easy, the tricky part is getting the right balance of heat and spice, and to tell you the truth it’s based on personal preference and taste…. Mine changes everyday depending on my mood. But the one spice that’s a must for me is garlic. Always have to throw in a few.
This hot pepper sauce here has a tropical and sweet spin to it. Yes, mango and pineapple are used here not only to sweeten things up but also to temper the pepper. If you are a hardened pepper-head then leave it to the chickens like us and leave out the mangoes and pineapple.
What kind of pepper can be used here? Well just about any pepper, in my neck of the woods habanero is fairly common. Available in most major supermarkets, obtaining fresh scotch bonnet pepper is another story. Only a select few carry them and sometimes it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I was lucky enough to get a bunch of these on one of my trips to the East Coast – they have them in abundance.
To cook or not to cook? Well again, personal preference. Some say cooking tempers the heat level while others vehemently disagree. Me, I don’t know. I have never conducted a scientific experiment to compare both. Just know if I want to temper the heat I dilute the pepper with more ingredients and leave out the seeds.
Caribbean Pepper Sauce
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Ingredients
- 2-4 Habanero or scotch bonnet peppers (as per your spice tolerance)
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- ½ cup fresh fruit Mango or Pineapple
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon cumin spice
- ¼ cup vinegar I used mixture of lime and vinegar
- ½ teaspoon mustard
- 1-2 Tablespoon brown sugar optional
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- Herbs parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme optional
Instructions
Method 1
- Blend scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, fruit and onions in a food processor or blender. Add vinegar to facilitate blending. Then mix in cumin, mustard, white pepper, and brown sugar. Adjust for salt and seasoning. Refrigerate and use when ready.
Method 2
- Add about a table of preferred cooking oil to a medium saucepan followed scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, and onions. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes. Let it cool, place in a blender or food processor together with other ingredients and blend to desired consistency.
- You may return to sauce pan, add about more oil as needed bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes or more
- Adjust for seasoning and salt. Refrigerate and use when ready.
Maryam says
Thus is my first time trying this sauce, which method is better? Im using it as a sauce for fried rice variation
Imma says
Method 2 is takes a little more time, but it is better.
Jackie says
Hi Imma, I am using your recipe for grilling whole red snapper this weekend and this Caribbean pepper sauce sounds wonderful. It doesn’t appear that you added the fresh herbs to the batch in your photos. Do you prefer this pepper sauce with or without the optional fresh herbs? Thanks, Jackie
Imma says
Hi Jackie. Fresh herbs will work just fine for this recipe. Thanks for using my recipes :). Happy cooking!
Jess says
What else can we use this delicious sauce for?
Imma says
Hi Jess. The uses of this sauce are almost endless :)! You can use it to add a spicy kick to your grilled or fried meats, fish and poultry. You can use it to enhance the flavor of your soups, stews, stir-fries or even veggies. This also works as an excellent marinade for your meats. And of course, you can also use this as a dipping sauce for your appetizers and snacks. Hope this helps :)!
Peri says
How long does this keep for in the fridge?
Imma says
Hello Peri. This pepper sauce can last up to 3 months in the fridge.
Amber P says
Looking to try this recipe for a class practical exam. For the vinegar is that a white, red wine vinegar?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Amber. If you’re using yellow hot peppers, apple or white vinegar would be better. If using red peppers, red wine vinegar will work. You can also use freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice. Please let me know how your exam goes.
Sean says
Is that dry mustard in the recipe or the prepared mustard sauce
Imma says
I used dry, but you can use either. The mustard ramps up the yellow and adds more zing.
Annie says
Hiya! This is my fav go to recipe for making my pepper sauce! Just a quick question- the herbs you mentioned (basil, thyme etc) must they be fresh or can dried ones also work??
Imma says
You can definitely use dried herbs. But they’re more concentrated so use half the amount, then taste test to see if you need more.
Thomas says
Very good recipe. I have used 2 Roatan Habanero an 5 Trinidad Perfume using Method 2. Added a few non-crushed allspice while simmerimg and removed them before canning the jars. Exactly my type of hot sauce. 5 Stars from germany!
Imma says
Yayy, Thank you so much for your love and support. Much love from USA:)
Karen says
Wow – I really love this recipe. Like…. Loooove! Thank you for sharing!
Immaculate Bites says
And thank you for taking the time to leave a message, Karen! Let me know how this turns out for you. Enjoy!
Tom Mix says
Just made the sauce, I used black pepper instead of white and added black opal basil.One of my first homemade hot sauces. Used it as a rib dip.Yummmmmmm! Makes me glade I decided to grow Jamaican yellow scotch bonnets.
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
Jim Lyle says
Made this recipe as written, doubled the recipe but stayed with 4 habaneros. It was WAY too spicy for my wife and me. Dumped it and started over. Again doubled the recipe but this time used only one habanero. Still very spicy but edible and tasty.
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you for sharing, Jim! And I’m sorry it turned out to be too spicy for you and your wife. Please feel free to adjust on the measurements/ingredients to get your preferred spiciness. You can also make sure to remove the seeds and dilute the pepper with more ingredients (method 2). Please share again once you’ve made another one. 🙂
William says
Agreed. Used 4 habaneros and it is insanely spicy. I live near Mexico and eat spicy stuff all the time. Be warned. I’d suggest one or maybe two max.
Brenda Williams says
Thanks for your instructions
ImmaculateBites says
Your welcome!
Tj says
Should I store the jars in the fridge after or are they fine on the counter?
Imma says
The vinegar helps it last longer, but since the recipe uses fresh ingredients, I’d store it in the fridge. Thanks for trying out the recipe.❤️
Brenda Williams says
I made the pepper sauce. I removed the pepper seeds. I used preparation method 2. The heat is just right for me.
ImmaculateBites says
Glad you enjoy it . Thanks
Arthur Williams says
Hey there. Would you say that white pepper is definitely needed versus crushed black pepper? Thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
Not really. White pepper has more heat. Either works just fine in this recipe