Habanero Chile

Lima, or sweet limes, are the key to the citrus flavor of sopa de lima Yucateca, but bitter orange also works well in this Mexican soup.

Rich, hearty black-eyed peas simmered in coconut milk get a boost of spice from habanero pepper and curry powder.

The underlying notes of vanilla and nutmeg—found in Coca-Cola—are layered with piquant aromatics and tangy tomato ketchup to produce a barbecue sauce that's remarkably dynamic. 

Here is my super bougie restyling of an everyday Ghanaian hot chile condiment. My bet is that once you’ve made it, you’ll be shouting at your West African friends because no one told you about it before. Until now, you thought XO sauce solved everything. Until now, you thought sambal belacan was the only smoked fish dip the world needed. But now, you’ve realized: I Shito, therefore I am. This recipe is luxurious, it is decadent, it is rich and textured for lavish enjoyment. Right here is where hot pepper sauce dreams comes true.

Potato salad gets a fresh burst of flavor from a dose of Jamaican jerk seasoning. The spicy rub is the foundation of the creamy dressing, where some of the heat is quelled by rich mayonnaise.

Smothered pork chops may be an iconic soul food specialty, but this recipe proves you can smother anything. All it really means is coating slow-cooked meat with a blanket of saucy aromatics that end up as gravy too.

I love the notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, sweet warming spices in these baby back ribs.

Marinate shrimp in a sweet-spicy mixture of apricot preserves, lime, habanero, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger—then throw them on the grill for dinner in 15 minutes.

Birria is usually served with a side of consomé, the rich pan juices from the roasted meat. This recipe takes things a step further by puréeing those juices with roasted vegetables and dried chiles.

This rich, flavorful Nigerian dish brings together bold chile heat, the pleasant funk of fermented locust beans and dried shrimp, and a good dose of Old Bay.

To keep shrimp tender, don’t let them sit in the marinade for too long before grilling. The acid in the citrus will start to firm up and cook the flesh.

Bath duck in a spiced (nutmeg, allspice) and spicy (habanero) marinade, stick it in the oven, ignore it for five hours, then serve it with fixings for build-it-yourself tacos.

Green mangoes would be ideal, but slightly unripe mangoes are an imperfect but successful substitute.

The longer you can let this chicken rest in the marinade (up to 24 hours), the better the warm, aromatic, fiery spices will penetrate the meat.

Splash liberally on fried eggs, toss with grilled veg, or spread on a sub.

Looks like a perfectly innocent bowl of apricot jam, burns like a bright and fruity pepper jelly.

Always use firm-fleshed white fish, without skin and bones, to prepare classic ceviche. Avoid oily or fatty varieties of fish.

This marinade packs sweet citrus flavor and extra spice into pork chops both before, and after, they hit the grill.

Choose the best-quality fish for this simple ceviche.