Habaneros are used in a variety of cuisines including Mexican, Caribbean, and American. They are often paired with seafood and are used in dishes such as roasted shrimp and seafood enchiladas. Habaneros also complement fruit flavors in desserts and have a distinct, fruity taste. They are very hot, measuring between 100,000 and 350,000 Scoville units. When cooking with habaneros, it is important to use gloves or frequently wash hands to avoid spreading the oils to sensitive areas.
Dishes prepared with habaneros include a variety of cuisines including Mexican, Colombian, Caribbean, American, and Cajun. The chile taste accentuates the flavor of salsas, sauces, jellies and jams and is also a popular ingredient in marinades for seafood. Other dishes made with habaneros include chili, rice, and chicken recipes.
Frequently paired with seafood, habaneros are used in shrimp, scallop and fish dishes. Recipes that feature the ingredient include roasted shrimp, conch crab, Thai shrimp, and seafood enchiladas. A popular dish, the main ingredients of Shrimp Thai are flat rice noodles, prawns, egg, chili, bean sprouts, peanuts, and lime. A commonly used Jamaican jerk seasoning for poultry, fish, and pork includes habaneros spice.
Some popular recipes include sliced or roasted habaneros, while others include just the juice. More surprising are the dessert recipes that include habaneros. The heat of the chile complements the fruit flavors like mango, lime and orange. Chocolate is also soothing to the heat of a chile. To cool the burn, drink dairy products instead of water; milk, sour cream, and cream cheese are all effective.
Many chili recipes that contain habaneros also include sausage, chorizo, and beef. A chicken stew recipe incorporates the habanero with peanuts and peanut butter. Habaneros also complement black bean, rice, potato, or hummus dishes.
The habanero has a distinct, almost fruity flavor, is small, lantern-shaped and grown in the Caribbean, Yucatan and South America. The color varies from light green to bright orange. The heat of the habanero is measured in Scoville units, a degree used to rate the amount of capsaicin in the average pepper. The Scoville scale estimates that the habanero hovers between 100,000 and 350,000 units, making it about fifty times hotter than a jalapeno.
If you like the flavor of a chili, but not the burn, it’s recommended to use the rinsed chili, minus the stems, ribs, and seeds. Be careful when cooking with chilies. Use gloves or frequent hand washing to reduce the chance of spreading the oils into your eyes or other sensitive areas.
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