Just a little crushed red pepper brings your homemade vodka sauce to life. In this recipe, we use only a pinch (or so), but if you’re heat-inclined like us, feel free to be a little more heavy-handed in the amount used.
Spicy vodka sauce is delicious of course with penne, but any pasta will do. Or try it with baked or grilled chicken. The creamy and spicy sauce brings a whole lot of flavor to the table.Â
Whether as a side or as a meal on its own, the Southern cooking staple with a kick – spicy red beans and rice –  really hits the spot. It’s that perfect mix of salty, earthy, and of course spicy that’s just impossible to deny. Try it with barbecue, you won’t be disappointed.
The heat comes from moderate amounts of paprika, cayenne, Cajun seasoning, and Tabasco – potent enough to tickle the tongue, but not so hot as to chase off family and friends. We love it topped with some fresh jalapeño pepper wheels. Of course, it’s optional, but it adds a delicious bright pepper flavor.
A little jalapeño pepper goes far in a batch of corn fritters. It’s just enough spice to perk you up, and the cumin and black pepper provide an earthy undertone that works perfectly with both the chili pepper and the subtle sweetness of corn.
Top these fritters with a little sour cream and guacamole and it’s a dream side for your grilled meats. Or you can approach these fritters like a meal and lay out a full spread of taco fixings, like additional jalapeños, shredded cheese, tomatoes, and onions.Â
There’s just a hint of spice, but a heck of a lot of southern flavor in this Cajun lasagna. Buoyed by Andouille sausage and a healthy amount of Cajun seasoning (or Creole seasoning), it’s got that extra “somethin’ somethin'” that’ll turn your typical family meal into something a bit more memorable
The heat mainly comes from a simple source: crushed red pepper. Yes, there’s some cayenne in the Cajun seasoning, too, but the red pepper flakes are really the power ingredient for the meal’s fire. So control your lasagna’s spiciness by adding or subtracting here, not by adding or subtracting Cajun seasoning. You may overpower the lasagna with too much Cajun (is there a thing?) or too little by messing with the amount of seasoning mix.Â
We’ll be honest, at first we weren’t really sure how we felt about Black Rose Hot Sauce. It has a vinegary tang like Tabasco, but as a Louisiana style dashing sauce it’s way too thick. That thickness is a lot like Sriracha, but the pronounced vinegar tang limits its uses compared to Sriracha. On our first few tastes, we were left with the feeling that this hot sauce was in a hard-to-place limbo zone between two popular flavors.
But Black Rose Hot Sauce has grown on us big time since our initial first impression. In fact, it has a flavor all its own, taking the best of those two popular hot sauces and mixing in a hint smoke and a delicious amount of grit.
We can dive into corn on the cob any day of the week, especially fresh oven- or grill-roasted corn. But our love for the golden sweetness of corn takes another important step when those delicious ears are made fiery. There’s so much flavor in this spicy corn on the cob recipe to go along with the fun crunch and texture of the eating experience.
Our spicy corn on the cob relies on cayenne pepper for the heat. Cumin provides a little earthiness – like you’d get in chili powder. In fact, if you’d like a lesser-heat version of this recipe, simply remove the cayenne powder and substitute in a chili seasoning. The cilantro and lime zest provide a Mexican flair – a little tangy freshness. You can go there – or simply enjoy the earthy fire of the core recipe. These are perfection on the grill, but you can oven-roast them any time of the year to enjoy whenever you want.
If this spicy corn on the cob recipe is right up your alley, don’t miss our Mexican corn on the cob recipe as well. Its mix of paprika, chili powder, and cojita cheese is reminiscent of Mexican street food in all the right ways.
We don’t know if there’s a correlation between loving tequila and loving spicy food, but if we had to guess, they’ve got to be linked. This habanero infused tequila recipe brings the best of both worlds together, converging into one extra hot bottle of pure bliss. It’s delicious as a spicy shot on its own, or try it as a mixer for a spicy Tequila Sunrise or other tequila-based cocktail.
You can control the overall heat of this habanero tequila by choosing how long to steep the habanero peppers. Less time means less spiciness; more time means an extra-hot experience. And, as always, when working with habanero peppers, use kitchen gloves when handling the chilies. Extra hot peppers and above can cause especially painful chili burn. Be protected and wash your hands immediately after handling as well.Â
Sure roasted almonds alone are excellent to snack on as they are, but why not take ten minutes and turn those almonds into a fiery treat? Spicy almonds are perfect for parties, adding that extra spice twist that’ll make a memorable splash among friends and family.
Cayenne pepper provides the primary kick, with a little extra warmth from black pepper. It’s significant spice, so feel free to pull back on the cayenne used if you’re preparing for a group where spice tolerance is mixed. Halve the amount of cayenne (1/2 teaspoon) is best for those occasions.
The recipe calls for unsalted roasted almonds, but you can use salted roasted almonds instead – simply remove the extra salt from the ingredient list. We prefer less salt and more heat (and, if you’re reading PepperScale you may too), so opt for the unsalted roasted almonds if you can so that you can control the balance completely.Â
It may surprise some, but green chili powder is real and just as tasty as any of the red chili powders commonly available. But the rub (no pun intended): Green chili powder is a whole heck of a lot harder to source. You can buy it online, but if you have extra green chilies sitting around, like Anaheim peppers or jalapeños, you can make it yourself with just a little time and a lot of sun (or a dehydrator).
You can use green chili powder just as you would red chili powders that are 100% chili pepper-based (cayenne powder, ancho powder, chipotle powder, etc…). The main difference is in the color (obviously) and flavor. The color is perfect for adding heat to salsa verde and other green sauces (as red powders can impact their color). Flavor-wise, green chili powders tend to not be as earthy and bold – think a more subtle flavor that’s impacted by the natural flavor profile of the pepper and not a smoking process (like chipotle powder).
Green chili powder works very well with meats that are more mild in flavor, like pork and chicken, and it’s also delicious sprinkled on fresh salads to provide a spice bump.Â
When you’ve got your grill on, time is often of the essence. You’re likely cooking for friends and family, so the less time you have to spend seasoning and grilling, the more time you have to enjoy these special moments. Yet, you want your food to taste stellar – and in our case deliciously spicy – there’s no doubt. Enter the quick and dirty BBQ spice rub, perfect for making a batch of spicy BBQ shrimp in minutes.
The homemade spice rub in this recipe leans heavily on chili powder and cumin to provide an earthy simmer, but underneath it all is a smoky heat brought to life by smoked paprika. The rub takes only minutes to make and the shrimp grill up in mere minutes as well. In fact, what takes the most time is heating up the grill and soaking the skewers prior to use.