Fiery Easy Pickled Scotch Bonnet Peppers give a kick to everything from grilled meats, fish, soups, stews, legumes and sauces. If you like it hot, these peppers are for you!
There are countless varieties how you could prepare pickled peppers. You could mix up the vinegar (use white and red wine vinegar)and even add carrots and onions. In this recipe I made them with garlic, dried bay leaves and fresh dill. This is just a version we love, and we encourage you to experiment.
Easy Pickled Scotch Bonnet Peppers
The Scotch Bonnet Pepper is also know as Caribbean Red Peppers. It is a chili pepper found all around the Caribbean islands. If you want to know the heat rating, it is 100,000-350,000 Scoville units. Most jalapeños have a heat rating of 2,500 to 8,000 on the Scoville scale.
This is another one of my Hurricane Dorian food stories. I bought these a few days before we knew the storm was heading are way. They were at my favorite Latino fruit and veggie market and were on sale for a $1! The colors pulled me in: tiny, red, orange and yellow peppers and countless possibilities. Searching for recipes online and wondering how to cook them up, pickling ended up being what I did! One day I hope to explore a recipe cooking with them.
I will warn you here that they are HOT! And I mean, HOT! If you happen to find them where you live, you should give this recipe a try. But another big warning: WEAR GLOVES when you are cleaning them and slicing them. Keep them on when you add them to the jars. Another thing to keep in mind is that when you cut them, vapors are released.
To avoid dealing with their powerful vapors, just keep the peppers whole when adding them to the jars. Scotch Bonnet peppers are tiny but very mighty! They are small, orange, red or yellow, and full of heat with a sweet overtone. It is the same pickling recipe I used for easy pickled jalapeños, but it is completely different in flavor. Now if you are looking to pickle something on the sweet side, you have to try these pickled watermelon rinds (SO GOOD!).
Let’s get to the recipe.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE HOMEMADE PICKLED SCOTCH BONNET PEPPERS:
- Scotch Bonnet peppers
- garlic
- water
- vinegar
- sugar
- salt
- fresh dill and dried bay leaves (optional)
- glass jars with a tight fitting lid
DO PICKLED SCOTCH BONNET PEPPERS NEED TO BE REFRIGERATED? HOW LONG WILL THEY STAY GOOD?
We make this recipe with instructions to store in the fridge. They will remain good for up to 6 months (I tried my mother-in-law’s pickled jalapeños even a year later. They were still great, but I’m not suggesting to store that long).
It is so much more economical to pickle your own peppers! You can’t beat the flavor! We talk about it a little here in our easy pickled jalapeño recipe. Be sure to use gloves when you are working with the peppers. Especially when you cut them! If you don’t, you will have burning fingers for many hours! Use the gloves even when you are filling the jars and then toss the gloves out. Wash your hands thoroughly after you take off the gloves.
Pin it for later to your canning/pickling board!
Very important to remember: Use gloves the entire time when handling these peppers. If they’re disposable gloves, toss them out and wash your hands. Just in case, do not rub your eyes.
We give instructions on storing the Scotch Bonnet peppers refrigerator. Since we don’t have a cantina or a basement, we store most of what we can in the refrigerator. For more detailed info on canning instructions or directions, follow the USDA guidelines.
Easy Pickled Scotch Bonnet Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 cups Scotch Bonnet peppers
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and gently crush
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- dried bay leaves optional
- fresh dill optional
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Wearing gloves, rinse off Scotch Bonnet peppers and slice into evenly sized pieces (I left some whole and some sliced in pieces).
- With your gloves still on, pack the peppers into your glass jars (or one very large tight-fitting lid). Add a clove of garlic to each jar. If using one large jar, add them all into that jar. Add in the bay leaves and dill (if using).
- In a medium saucepan, combine water, vinegar, salt, and sugar.
- Bring water to a low simmer and stir until sugar and salt are just melted (not boiling).
- Remove vinegar mixture and using a ladle very carefully pour the mixture into the jars with peppers.
- Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- Remove. Cool and store in your refrigerator for up to 2 months.
- These pickled Scotch Bonnet peppers are ready to eat in 24 to 48 hours.
Are they just as spicy after pickling? Or do they become more mild?
Hi Alysia-They are extremely spicy even after pickling. It does not diminish spice factor. Happy pickling! XX