Habaneros are small peppers that pack a lot of heat.
The habanero pepper provides high heat and big flavor to any dish. This pepper is up to 60 times hotter than a jalapeno -- too spicy for eating on its own for most people. Instead, the heat and flavor of the habanero is tempered by combining it with other food items or infusing it with a liquid.
Salsa & Sauces
Both salsas and hot sauces take advantage of the heat of the habanero to compliment the other ingredients in the mix. Salsas are chunky, usually consisting of diced tomatoes, onions and other vegetables. Small amounts of habanero give a salsa its kick. The more habanero added, the more fiery the salsa.
Hot sauces have many of the same ingredients as a salsa, but they are blended to a liquid. Habanero is used on its own or with other, milder peppers to supply the heat to the hot sauce.
Seasonings & Marinades
Dried or fresh diced habanero combines with other seasonings, including pepper, chives and thyme. Such mixes usually consist of fresh seasonings, although the pepper seeds can be dried and added to a dry mix. Habanero may be added to oil in combination with other spices to make a marinade. The marinade is used to flavor hot wings, steaks or jerky meat before drying.
Dressings
Habanero peppers spice up a standard dinner salad when added to dressings. A small amount goes a long way in an oil- or vinegar-based dressing recipes. Cream dressings temper the heat of habaneros, allowing a little more of the pepper to be added without dramatically increasing the heat index.
Infusions
The heat from habaneros leaches into any liquid covering it. Placing a habanero in a bottle of tequila for two or more weeks creates a spiced alcohol that works well alone or in mixed drinks. Infused oils provide the heat and flavor of habanero when cooking or when added to oil-based salad dressings.
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