Scotch Bonnet

You can't talk about Jamaican cuisine without giving proper recognition to the scotch bonnet pepper. Fresh scotch bonnet is the ultimate Jamaican ingredient, and it’s the unique taste, not the intense heat, that makes it so important. It ranks among some of the hotter chili peppers in the world at up to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units, but what makes it truly stand out is its bright, fruit-like flavor that makes savory dishes and human taste buds come alive. When that flavor combines with pimento, garlic, scallion, and other traditional seasoning, that's when the real magic of Jamaican cooking takes place.

Scotch bonnet can easily become an obsession for people who enjoy spicy food. When you cook and eat with it regularly you can reach a point where you just don’t want to eat a meal without it. When your food isn’t cooked with enough pepper you find yourself reaching for the bottled pepper sauce. When there is no bottled pepper you find yourself rubbing pieces of the raw scotch bonnet all over your food just to get the taste. Sometimes you can lose interest in eating completely if you are stuck somewhere that scotch bonnet is not available. Is it worth obsessing over a pepper this way? Absolutely.

Even cooks who don’t love spicy food know that you can’t leave fresh scotch bonnet out of Jamaican recipes if you want the best flavor. If you’re trying to avoid making your dish too spicy, you can add the pepper whole, which allows the flavor to release slowly through the skin without most of the heat from the seeds. If the pepper bursts in the pot, things can change fast, so stir carefully and don’t overwork your pot. Trust me, the flavor is worth the risk every time.

If you want the best and most authentic Jamaican flavor, make sure to have scotch bonnet on hand. The habanero is in the same family and can work as a good substitute, but it is not exactly the same taste, so stick to real scotch bonnet for the best results. The whole peppers keep really well in the freezer so stock up when they are available. They are also easy to grow, in a container or in the ground, so you can fill your freezer with your own organically grown scotch bonnets every year if that's possible where you live.

When it’s time to cook, cut it up in small pieces (minus the seeds) along with the rest of your fresh seasoning (use gloves if you are sensitive), or add it whole. You can also use a bottled scotch bonnet sauce if that’s all you can find. They are available online if they don’t carry them in your local supermarket. The yellow or orange sauces have a brighter flavor and less vinegar than the red ones, so they tend to work better for cooking.

The layers of flavor you get from combining the rich earthiness of dry seasoning like our All Purpose, Curry Powder or Dry Jerk blends, with the bright and colorful taste of traditional fresh seasoning is what really makes a dish great. Fresh scotch bonnet is an important part of the magic formula for authentic Jamaican cuisine and a superstar ingredient that should always be given the respect and recognition it deserves.