Smoky Peach + Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

The hot sauces of the west indies are amazing. Inspired by what’s at hand, they are super hot from scotch bonnet peppers and fruity with mango, pineapple, guava and the like. The hot sauce of Belize is particularly famous, as they add carrots! The most famous Brand is Marie Sharpe, which you can often find in the grocery store.

This fruity hot sauce is hot hot hot! I love to eat this on a breakfast sandwich, with roast potatoes or on shrimp tacos. I use peaches in this recipe as it is perfect to make in late summer and early autumn when peaches are in season.

This recipe calls for scotch bonnet chili peppers as they are the official peppers of the Caribbean, and perfect for this Belize-style sauce. But you can substitute their cousin the habanero or another funky, hot chili pepper of your choice.

The Scotch Bonnet and Habanero are a variety from the Capsicum Chinese chili plant. However the Habanero was domesticated in the Amazon and eventually found its way to Mexico and South America, whereas the Scotch Bonnet is of Jamaican origin and most common in Caribbean foods. The Habanero is more commonly found in supermarkets, whereas the Scotch Bonnet might be harder to find, unless you live in a community with a strong Caribbean presence (you can always find them in the bodegas around Flatbush, Prospect-Lefferts and Crown Heights in Brooklyn).

WARNING: always use latex gloves when handling hot peppers and hot sauce. These babies can BURN!! NOTE: this recipe makes about 12 2-oz bottles of hot sauce

Ingredients

  • 8 scotch bonnet peppers, red or orange colored

  • 1 small white onion chopped (about 3⁄4 cup)

  • 1 carrot, roughly chopped

  • 2 peaches, peeled and halved (frozen/thawed is fine)

  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 3⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1⁄4 cup lime juice

  • 1⁄4 cup water

  • 1 tablespoon salt

Directions

  1. Turn the oven to broil and on a sheet tray, lay out the first 4 ingredients: carrot, peaches, onion, and scotch bonnet peppers, and broil for about 10 to 15 minutes or until they’re all slightly blistered and soft, turning halfway through.

  2. Using gloves, pull the stems off the peppers (when soft, they will pull right off) and transfer contents to a blender and add peaches, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pulse

  3. If it is too thick for your liking, you can add a bit more water and vinegar, alternating a tablespoon of each at a time.

  4. Taste it! Add more salt if needed.

  5. Fill bottles with a funnel and cap.

  6. Refrigerate when completely cool. Hot sauce should last at least 1 year.

Laena McCarthy