Matt Bray, Author at PepperScale

Cajun Bloody Mary

A cocktail chock full of spice…

Everywhere you turn in this Cajun Bloody Mary recipe, you have delicious, delicious spice. It all starts with the Cajun seasoning, with its mix of spices, including cayenne. Top that with more cayenne powder, the famous Tabasco hot sauce, black pepper, and, of course, horseradish, and you have a tasty cocktail that punches hard.

It’s perfect for a Southern-style brunch. Serve it with Cajun shrimp and grits – we love the pairing. Want to make your own Cajun seasoning? Check out our recipe here.

Habanero Ranch Sauce

by Matt Bray

Habanero ranch sauce: creamy ranch with a pureed habanero, garlic and onion stirred in to taste. A cool, fiery dip for wings, fries and crudités that comes together in five minutes.

A tall jalapeño mojito with ice, muddled mint and lime, garnished with a jalapeño wheel and mint sprig, on a wooden board next to a whole jalapeño, half a lime and fresh mint

Spicy Jalapeño Mojito

by Matt Bray

A classic mojito with a kick: jalapeño wheels muddled with mint, lime and sugar, then topped with white rum, club soda and lots of ice.

Jalapeño Hushpuppies

by Matt Bray

Crunchy, slightly spicy, and packed with flavor…

It’s hard to eat only one hushpuppy when they’re made with a plain dough, but when adding in jalapeño peppers and a little Old Bay seasoning, it’s like holding back the biggest food craving ever. Expect these to be gone soon after you place them out. They’ll quickly become a family favorite, perfect as an appetizer or side.

Spicy Fish Taco Sauce

by Matt Bray

Sriracha spiced…

No matter your fish taco recipe, bring it to spicy life with this super-simple spicy sauce recipe. The sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice and Sriracha meld together for a delicious creamy and tangy heat. Looking for a tasty fish taco recipe to try this sauce on? Check out this one that uses a cayenne and chili powder rub to amp up the tilapia. Together they provide a lot of kick!

Medusa Pepper: Monstrously Good Looks

by Matt Bray

Perfect for containers, mild and sweet

Scoville heat units (SHU): 1 to 1,000
Jalapeño reference point: 3 to 8,000 times milder
Origin: South America
Seeds: Medusa pepper on Amazon

Looking for a colorful ornamental pepper for container gardening or small garden spaces? The Medusa pepper, with its compact profile and dozens of multi-hued upright chilies per plant, is neat perfect. Its stunning Medusa-like looks belie what’s truly a surprisingly mild and sweet pepper, perfect eating for those with little spice tolerance.

Jalapeño Honey Sauce

by Matt Bray

Smooth and spiced just right… Mixing jalapeño heat with the smoothness of honey makes one delicious marinade or dipping sauce. Try it with chicken tenders or roasted chicken. Control the spiciness by leaving the jalapeño seeds in (spicier) or remove them for less heat.

Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette

by Matt Bray

Delicious on all types of salads…

Whether a simple spring salad, a grilled chicken salad, or a mango salsa salad, chipotle lime vinaigrette just works. Part tangy, party spicy, and a touch of sweet, this vinaigrette works perfectly with chicken, shrimp, or tropical fruits. If it’s too spicy, halve the amount of chipotle pepper used and increase the adobo sauce by an additional tablespoon.

Homemade Jamaican Jerk Sauce

by Matt Bray

Deliciously spiced and seriously spicy…

Jamaican jerk sauce is not for the timid, that’s for sure. No sauce that starts with a half dozen Scotch bonnet peppers is one to take lightly. But that’s of course why we love it so much. It’s spicy, but also deliciously spiced – with the likes of allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon in the mix. It’s a delicious marinade for chicken, beef, and pork.

If you can’t get your hands on Scotch bonnets, choose habanero peppers instead. They’re a close cousin that brings the same heat, just not quite the tropical fruitiness.

Italian Long Hot Peppers: Fryer’s Delight

by Matt Bray

Mild and sweet…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 100 – 1,000
Jalapeño reference point: 3 to 80 times milder
Origin: Italy
Products: Italian long hot pepper on Amazon

When you travel in the Northeast of the United States, it’s hard not to stumble upon this long, gangly chili. Italian long hot peppers (a.k.a. long hot peppers, or simply Italian long hots) are now growing in popularity in many regions, but cities like Philadelphia and New York have a special bond. And there’s a lot to love. Italian long hots have only the slightest of sizzles to go along with a delicious sweet pepper flavor profile. They are a favorite fried or roasted as a side, and often placed on hoagies and other sandwiches to add zest to the meal.