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pickled peppers

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Sauces & Condiments

Quick and Tasty Caribbean Pepper Pickle.

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Here’s yet another spicy pickle to serve as a side to your fav curry dishes or as in my case, with Chicken Pelau. Using freshly harvested hot peppers from my garden as the growing season comes to an end, it was an excellent use of the final produce for 2024. While these pickled peppers can be used immediately, the remainder will keep for months in the fridge and warm me up during those cold winter nights in Canada.

You’ll Need…

2 Habanero Peppers (sliced thin)
2 Scotch Bonnet peppers (sliced thin)
1 cup Wiri Wiri peppers (rough chopped)
10-15 Bird’s Eye peppers (sliced)
1 medium onion (sliced thin)
5 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 inch Bitter Melon (sliced thin)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 lemons (juice)

Notes! It’s important that you wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water when handling such hot peppers. May I suggest that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. Especially which variety of peppers you may use.

Wash and prep everything.

In a bowl, place the peppers, garlic and bitter melon (we say Carilie in the Caribbean).

Spread the thinly sliced onion on the top, then sprinkle on the salt. As explained in the video, this will take away some of the direct rawness of the onion. You may let it sit like this for 20 minutes or proceed immediately.

Pour the lemon juice over everything and give it a good mix. You may use lime juice or white vinegar if you don’t have lemon juice. Please try to use freshly squeezed juice and not the bottle stuff for best results.

You may use this immediately and store the remainder in a sealed glass jar in the fridge for a few months. Keep in mind that the acid from the citrus will continue to soften everything as it age and some of the ‘heat’ will be lost during that time. Treat it as you would any spicy condiment and NOT as a dish itself.

Gluten Free Side Dishes Vegetarian

Spicy Pickled Peppers As Done In The Caribbean.

1 Comment on Spicy Pickled Peppers As Done In The Caribbean.

This pickled peppers is similar in flavor to the Caribbean Lime Peppersauce Recipe I shared a while back, and the texture along with said flavor is also reminiscent of the Chunky Lemon Lime Peppersauce from 2021.

You’ll Need…

2 cups wiri wiri peppers
10 cloves garlic (whole / cut the large cloves in half)
2 cups vinegar
1 cup cauliflower (chopped)
1 lemon (chopped)
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 Carolina Reaper peppers (sliced)

Notes! Feel free to use any combination of peppers you like or may have available. The Reaper peppers are insanely HOT, so please be mindful of that. May I recommend that you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. If making this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet your specific gluten free dietary requirements.

IMPORTANT! Wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. When washing the knife, bowls and cutting board, be mindful that the fumes may irritate your nose/throat and cause coughing.

Wash and prep the ingredients. With the Wiri Wiri (aka coffee peppers) remove and discard the stems, chop the cauliflower, dice the lemon into small pieces and slice the Carolina Reapers if you decide you want that insane heat. Or use Habanero and/or Scotch Bonnet peppers instead.

Place the vinegar (plain white vinegar) in a pot on a medium flame and as soon as you start seeing tiny bubbles on the outer edge, turn the stove off. Add the diced lemon pieces. Shut off the stove and let it steep for 15 minutes.

Place the peppers, garlic and cauliflower in a large bowl. The reason for placing the lemon pieces in the warmed vinegar is to help soften the skin, so it breaks down quicker once it’s in the jar.

Now pour the vinegar with the lemon pieces into the same bowl with the other ingredients and give it a good mix.

All you have to do now is spoon the combination (lemon, peppers, garlic, cauliflower) into sterilized glass containers and top with the salt. Pour the vinegar into the bottle/container until everything is covered.

This can be used immediately as a spicy side or topping to everything. However, may I recommend that you allow it to marinate or cure for at least a week before you crack it open.

In my case I try my best to allow it to sit for 15 days for the garlic and lemon to release its flavor, the cauliflower will soak up the heat and the peppers to soften a bit and flavor the liquid.

As a lil fella on the islands I recall seeing bottles like this bathing in the sun in people’s yards as you’d drive to school. The kiss of the sun helps to further cure it, I was told. In my case, I prefer to store it in a cool and dark pantry for up to 6 months.

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Pickled Bird’s Eye Peppers.

3 Comments on Pickled Bird’s Eye Peppers.

Over the years I’ve shared countless Peppersauce Recipes with you, and while this pickled bird pepper is not technically a sauce, in the Caribbean it would fall into that category. Yea, I grew up knowing these peppers (while a bit smaller in size) Bird Pepper (since birds would feed on them in your garden and later on the droppings would sprout pepper tress at the start of the rainy season) and not Bird’s Eye Pepper. We also had a variety known as Kiskedee peppers, named after the bird which would also feed on them.

You’ll Need…

1/4 lb red Bird’s Eye peppers
1/4 lb green Bird’s Eye pepper
4-5 Scotch Bonnet peppers
3- 3 1/2 cups white vinegar
4-6 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 teaspoon white sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Notes! Wear gloves when handling such hot peppers and wash you hands immediately after with soap and water. I opted to add a punch of HEAT with the Scotch Bonnet peppers.. that is optional or use any variety of hot pepper you enjoy or can source. I did cut them open so the vinegar could get into direct contact with the insides to add that KICK I wanted. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements.

Place the vinegar (yes, plain white vinegar) in a pot on a medium flame and add the peppercorns. As soon as you start seeing tiny bubbles on the edges, turn off the stove and let it steep for 5-10 minutes. The goal is to get the peppercorns to release it’s flavors with the warm vinegar.

As mentioned in the video below, I like adding a bit EXTRA HOT peppers to further add a kick to this pickle, as I make full use of the liquid on my grilled meats. I used 3 Scotch Bonnet and one Fatali peppers from my garden. They were cut in half.

Those cut peppers were added first to my jar (sterilized) followed by the red and then the green peppers. You may add them in any or no order as you like. I just find that it looks more attractive in the jar in this way.

Top with the salt and sugar .. if you want you may add a few wedges of lemon should you want a subtle citrus flavor to the pickle.

Tuck in the smashed garlic.

All that’s left to do is to pour the vinegar into the bottle and try and cover everything with it. Add a bit more vinegar should you need to.

FYI the green Bird’s Eye Pepper will have a different flavor and heat level than the red ones, since the green color signifies that they are not fully mature. Seal the bottle, give it a shake and store in a cool dark spot in your kitchen. It will last a few months. For a longer shelf life, store in the fridge. When removing the peppers, use a clean/dry fork or spoon.

If you wanted to add some sliced carrots in here, that would work. Additionally you may add a few cloves and/or some Szechuan peppercorns to change up the flavor profile a bit.

Gluten Free Side Dishes

Chunky Caribbean Lemon Lime Pepper Pickle.

2 Comments on Chunky Caribbean Lemon Lime Pepper Pickle.

As a lil fella growing up on the islands I recall it was a sort of expectation to see people ‘sunning’ out the freshly prepared bottles of traditional pepper sauce, when peppers were abundant (usually during dry season). Recycled bottles (which once housed peanut butter, jam or mayonnaise) packed with pureed, chunky or a combo of both. Vibrant red, orange, yellow and green, depending on the variety of pepper they used and the type of “peppersauce” they made. According to the elders, that Caribbean sun helped to cure the sauce and add even more wicked flavors.

You’ll Need…

25-35 hot peppers
20-30 bird pepper
1 tablespoon salt
2-3 cups white vinegar
1/2 large bitter melon
12-18 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 large carrot (or 10 tiny ones)
6 limes (divided)
11 lemons (divided)

IMPORTANT! Wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after handling such hot peppers with soap and water.

Wash everything and allow them to dry, then remove the stems off the peppers.

Cut the bitter melon in half (lenght) and using a tablespoon, scrape out the seeds and area around the seeds and discard. Slice thin.

Cut the limes in 1/4 (lenght-wise), then 1/2 cm slices. Do the same for four the lemons. TIP.. remove the center core of the lemons to make them more tender later on. (please watch the video below to follow along)

I used a variety of extremely hot peppers as I had an abundance in my garden. Feel free to use what you can source (watch the video below to see what I used). Slice each pepper thin and include the seeds for more heat. I left the bird peppers whole (stems removed).

Place the lime and lemon pieces in a deep pot and pour in the vinegar. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a simmer and cook on that simmer for 15 minutes.

Turn off the stove after 15 minutes (by cooking the lime and lemon pieces first in that vinegar will help to break down the skin and release a ton of that citrus flavor). While still warm, add the thinly sliced peppers, followed by all of the other ingredients (not the remaining lime nor lemons).

Stir well. I used baby carrots as that’s all I had on hand, but you can definitely slice up a large carrot. Allow this to fully cool.

Juice the remaining limes and lemon. (set aside)

It’s now time to place the pepper mixture into your clean glass containers. I used tongs, then I poured in the vinegar juice. I then strained in the freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice.

By adding the juice now it’s brings out that fresh citrus flavor and brightens the finished pepper-sauce.

Now tuck everything down with a wooden spoon. If you find that your peppers are not covered in liquid, add a bit more white vinegar and mix well. Uncovered peppers may tend to ferment and go bad quickly.

While you’ll be tempted to get into this asap, give it a week to fully ‘cure” before sampling. Store in the fridge for longer shelf life (about 6 months). Admittedly I was tempted to do as my ancestors did and place it in the sun, but it’s wasn’t a Caribbean sun so instead I hid mine in a cool dark corner in my kitchen. I find that when peppersauce goes in the fridge its heat level drops! It’s been there for about 9 months now. The sauce is excellent in soups and on the side of my beloved Pelau!

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Side Dishes

Spicy Jamaican Pickled Peppers.

1 Comment on Spicy Jamaican Pickled Peppers.

While you may find versions of this pickled pepper throughout the Caribbean, I just love how we have slight nuances in the way we treat scotch bonnet peppers (pepper sauce) from island to island. That said, this is uniquely Jamaican and yet I found different versions of this spicy goodness at every home and restaurant I visited from Montego Bay, to Negril, To Ochie to Kingston.

You’ll Need…

10 – 15 scotch bonnet peppers (sliced)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pimento berries (allspice)
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 large onion (sliced)
1 Chayote (ChoCho / Christophene)
1 large carrot (sliced thin)
Vinegar – white (about 2-3 cups)
4 slices of ginger (sliced)

Important! Be sure to wear gloves when handling such hot peppers and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water.

Wash the peppers and slice them thinly. I included the seeds from the peppers as I personally like pickled peppers as hot and spicy as I can get it. Peel and core the Chayote and cut into thin strips like fries. You may also leave on the green skin if you wish, I just find that it absorbs sort of brine better with the skin off.

Peel the carrot and slice into thin wheels and do the same for the onion, but slice a bit thicker. Remember you can use any white onion instead of a red onion… if that’s all you have.

You’ll notice that I used slices of ginger, that is just my way.. as I do like the flavor you get from that fresh ginger. Basically all you have to do now is to layer in the ingredients (push down to tuck in) into a clean glass jar… top with the sugar and salt, then pour on the vinegar. As you pour the vinegar it will dilute the sugar and salt.

Give it a few days to cure and for the flavors to blend together nicely, then enjoy. This will last for weeks in a cool shaded space on your kitchen counter, as the vinegar will act as a preservative. The vibrant colors will fade, but that is normal as time goes on. NOTE: I don’t like warming my vinegar, but you will see some people do so (warm, not boil).

If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Insanely Spicy Canadian Mother In Law.

1 Comment on Insanely Spicy Canadian Mother In Law.

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After getting a request for a new “Mother-In-Law” recipe via a YouTube comment , the spicy condiment we use on the side of many curry dishes in Trinidad and Tobago, I decided to do things a little different and do my interpretation of a Canadian version. I believe the name comes from the ‘spicy’ nature of one’s mother in law, mixed with different textures and flavors (complexity). Do keep in mind that you can control the amount of heat of this condiment by the number and type of hot peppers you use.

You’ll Need…

2 limes (juice)
1 lemon (juice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 medium red onion
2 scallions
1 pear
2 nectarines
2 sticks celery
1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
2 cloves garlic
4 HOT peppers
1 green apple (granny smith)
1 red apple (your choice)

Note! Feel free to use as much spicy hot peppers as you like.. do keep in mind that this is a SPICY condiment! I used a combination of Habanero, Scotch Bonnet and another pepper (don’t recall the name at the moment) from my garden. Here’s the original Caribbean version of Mother In Law I shared a while back.

The goal here is to dice everything the same size (except the garlic and peppers which I like very fine), so it’s uniform in texture when it’s served. I diced everything, but you can certainly use a food processor or grater if you like.

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Make sure you wash the fruits etc very good, since we’ll be using the skin for additional color (presentation) and texture. Remember to wear gloves when handling the hot peppers and be sure to wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. Additionally, don’t include the seeds and white membrane around the seeds if you’re concerned about the raw heat.

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I usually squeeze the lime and lemon juice in the bowl I’ll be mixing everything in, so as I dice and place it there, it will help prevent discoloration of the fruits.

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Basically all you have to do is dice (grate or food processor) everything and combine together. I used a bit of celery and green apple to give it a bit more texture and slight tartness. Usually green mangoes are used to achieve this. You may also grate in a carrot and the addition of a cucumber is always refreshing.

Taste for salt after you’ve mixed it all and adjust.

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If you find that you don’t have enough liquid from the juices to coat/cover everything, add a bit more lemon juice or vinegar. You may store this in a glass container (sealed) in the fridge for up to 5 days or so. Please allow this to marinate for about 2 hours before serving for best results. This time will be used to bring all those spicy (and sweet) flavors together.

Are you married? How spicy is your mother in law? Did you know there’s also a Daughter-in-Law? More to come.

Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2