Datil Pepper

[thomas pendrake]

I live near St. Augustine where one of the most unique of the hot peppers is grown. It is the datil pepper, a member of the Habenero group. Besides being exceedingly hot it has a very strong fruity taste with a somewhat citrusy overtone. It is the distinctive ingredient in Minorcan chowder made with ether clams or conch. The Minorcan people in St. Augustine are a group of people who came to Florida to work in the Indigo trade and somehow brought the datil to this area, where it thrives. There are several commercial sauces made with it. Google Minorcan clam chowder for several recipes. A little of the pepper goes a long way. Use hazmat cautions when handling it.

 

[True2marie]

I have never cooked with datil peppers. I am used to handling milder forms. They are the only ones that my stomach and palate can digest easily.

However, based on how they are describe in flavor (hot & fruity), I bet they add a lot of heat and spice to chili's and salsas.

 

[thomas pendrake]

Because the flavor is so intense datil peppers can be used in small amounts. I like to compare them to Tobasco peppers which also have a strong flavor. A gallon of Minorcan Clam chowder contains one datil less seeds and pith. The peppers in the photo are about 1.5 inch in length. Datils will measure about 100,000 to 300,000 Scoville units in heat, the scientific measure of "hotness" of a pepper. By comparison Jalepeno peppers measure about 5,000 and Tabasco about 50,000. The flavor of the datil pepper is different from the flavor of the tabasco, which is more savory than fruity.

 

[MyDigitalpoint]

I have seen habanero peppers sauce but I'm not sure why they have different colors.

I assume they are made with different habanero peppers, but I wonder if some of these are hotter or not that hot. Maybe you can clarify this for me, please

 

[Numbers9000]

I love spicy food and especially hot peppers, but I've had some bad experiences with habeneros and I've avoided them since. 100,000-300,000 Scoville units is a huge range in hotness! Is there a way to tell which Datils are milder and which are more fiery? Is it a color/ripeness thing or is it all a gamble?

 

[thomas pendrake]

The nice thing about Datil peppers is that their flavor is as intense as their heat, When you prepare datil peppers remove the seeds and the pith (the white stringy stuff with the seeds) as they contain much of the heat and none of the flavor. Wear gloves when working with the pepper. Six quarts of Minorcan chowder uses 1 or 2 peppers. Datil peppers are usually considered as distinct from other habenero type peppers and is used for flavor more than heat. Jamaican jerk sauces are usually rather intense, but commercial datil sauces are not usually as hot because a little datil goes a long way. If you buy datls they will probably be towards the top end of heat.

 

[Kate]

I live near St. Augustine where one of the most unique of the hot peppers is grown.

Well lucky lucky you! I love St. Augustine soooo much and I always pick up some Datil products when we're there. I just took inventory last night of what we need to buy when we're at St. Augustine in the spring.

The sweet heat bbq sauce is incredible. (I do realize you're not talking about the kitchy pre-bottled things, but I have to drive a thousand miles to experience it and I think that allows me a wee bit of kitch.

Any recommendations for a restaurant offering a great bowl of Minorcan Chowder?

 

[thomas pendrake]

Unfortunately the one I was most familiar with closed last year (someone retired). I have a recipe for a datil glaze on my blog (Google my name). I have a recipe for clam chowder somewhere, I will try to find it and post it here sometime today.

 

[thomas pendrake]

Classic Minorcan Clam Chowder

Here is a classic St. Augustine Minorcan Clam Chowder recipe. Google or otherwise search online for datil peppers. It will be good with an habenero pepper of any type, but it will not be the same. Datil peppers have a strong, distinctive flavor. The original recipe calls for conch instead of clam meat. If you can legally acquire conch, use it.

INGREDIENTS
1/8TH lb salt pork, finely chopped
2 sweet onions, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 or 2 datil peppers (remove seeds and pith unless you want extra "heat")' Use care handling datils as they are very hot.
12 oz clam or conch meat. Chopped, canned will work if fresh not available
3 cups chopped tomato, canned will work
2 cups diced potato, canned will work
1/2 cup tomato puree
1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper (Use pepper mill)
1 or 2 bay leaves

PREPARATION

1. Saute salt pork in large pot, preferably cast iron. Reserve pork
2. Saute onion and bell pepper in pork fat. Add datil
3. Add reserved salt pork and remaining ingredients. If you used fresh tomato and potatoes, add sufficient water. You should have a final yield of about 2 quarts. Bring to boil at least 15 minutes and simmer at least 1 hour.

This chowder is especially good if it has had a day or two to mature. Cook enough to have left-overs.

 

[Kate]

Thank you so much for the recipe, Thomas. It sounds great and I'll be looking for your blog as well. I'll remember to make the clam chowder a couple of days early because I know things like that are better later.