Homemade Peppersauce (hot sauce)

Throughout the Caribbean you’ll find thousands of recipes for homemade ‘peppersauce (aka hot sauce), which varies by technique, ingredients and tradition. For example, in Barbados you’ll see mustard being added to their version, while in Trinidad and Tobago it’s a rare ingredient used. Trinbagonians luv their HEAT and won’t allow anything to tame or influence that (however they do appreciate a flavorful peppersauce). With that said, here’s a classic “raw” Caribbean style hot sauce you can start with.

Try to keep it simple and as you understand flavors and the effects it will have on your sauce, you can start playing with fruits like Mango, Papaya, Passion fruit… even Blueberries and Strawberries are a wonderful addition to pepper sauces (especially to balance the raw heat with some exciting fruity undertones).

For this Homemade Peppersauce you’ll need…

35-40 Scotch Bonnet peppers
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
8-12 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 limes (juice)

wash and remove the stems off the peppers
give the peppers a rough chop
keep the seeds and white membrane around the seeds for MAXIMUM heat (or remove and discard if you want a tame peppersauce)
place all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and puree
you can control the texture (pulse if you want the final sauce it more chunky)
pour into a sterilized glass container
can remain on the kitchen counter for 2-3 months or in the fridge for up to 6 months. Please note that if you decide to keep the finished peppersauce in the fridge, it will not be as hot as time goes by.