Some have called it a designer chile. Several new cultivars have been developed recently including the hottest of the hot, Red Savina. Other cultivars and first cousins to the Habanero include chocolate habanero, yellow habanero, habanero rojo, Rica Red, Congo, and Scotch Bonnet.
They are most commonly grown in the Yucatan, Costa Rica, Belize, California, Texas, and the Caribbean. The common habanero is about 1 ½" to 2 ½ " long and about 1 - 2" wide, oval and pointed on the end, and is green maturing to orange. Other varieties mature to yellow, brown, and red.
The habanero's Scoville Heat Units ranges from 200,000 - 300,000 (326,000 - Red Savina). The good news is that you can still enjoy the wonderful flavor of the Habanero without scorching your taste buds by adding ingredients to temper the heat, both in dishes and in hot sauces, and you can also use less chiles than the original recipe calls for in some cases. The name Habanero means "from Havana". The most common uses of the habanero is in sauces, salsas, seasoning rubs and jerk marinades. They may be purchased fresh, dried, powdered, and pickled.
Here are some recipes for you to please your heat-loving friends and family with.
Happy Holidays!
Judy Howle
Bajan Chicken
The Whole Chile Pepper Book.
- 3 fresh Habanero chiles, stems & seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Caribbean-style Habanero sauce (I like Trinidad or Inner Beauty)
- 4 chicken breasts, skin removed
- 6 green onions, finely chopped, including tops
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (I substituted cilantro)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (Because of a personal anti-clove bias, I substituted cinnamon; thanks to my dentist father, cloves remind me of stinky tooth decay ...)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Flour for dredging
- 3 cups dry breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
Combine the chiles, green onions, garlic, lime juice, parsley or cilantro, cloves (or cinnamon) and ground pepper. Cut deep gashes in the chicken and fill with the mixture. Secure open end with a toothpick to keep the stuffing from falling out.
Beat the egg and combine with the soy sauce and pepper sauce. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and roll in the bread crumbs.
