Turn Up the Heat With Hot Peppers

You are having company, and you’ve chosen tacos as an easy and versatile dish – simple to prepare and customize with fillings made in advance. You’ve decided to use fresh ingredients for the sauce – none of that generic store bought fixings. It has to look and taste authentic! So you go to the local market to pick out fresh chili peppers, considered the foundation of all Mexican food! 

Chili peppers come in a variety of heat and flavors and using these two combinations is the key. The produce section of the local market does not usually give you an indication of how hot the chili peppers are. For those who are familiar with the bold and fiery flavors of Mexican hot peppers, the names will be familiar to you and you’llknow which ones will add color and serious attitude to your tacos.  

You will find baskets of Mexican peppers from mild to hot, such as jalapeños, habaneros, hot red finger peppers, poblano, serrano, and cubanelle peppers.Any of these peppers will add zest, fire, intensity, and flavor to your chosen Mexican dish. Looking at the pepper section, these mild to hot peppers sit alongside baskets of colorful bell peppers but these are very different in flavor. A bell pepper is sweet and crispy, while the chili peppers on the shelf belong to a world of their own with their own “heat index.”  

There is a “heat” or intensity index in all chili peppers which comes from a compound called capsaicin, located in the inner ribs and membranes of the peppers – not in the seed itself. Removing the seeds from the peppers does not lessen or remove the heat intensity of chili peppers. Heat intensity is measured with the Scoville scale - the higher the Scoville heat units (SHU), the hotter the chili pepper. 

Common varieties of hot andvery hotchili peppersinclude jalapeño, serrano, and habanero, each with its distinct flavor and intensity. 

Jalapeños typically range from 2,500 to 8,000 SHU. This is the most recognizable Mexican chili known for its versatility and it works with most everything. Fresh ones bring a moderate heat and are most comfortable with sauces, tacos, eggs, soups, and marinades.   

Habaneros are one of the hottest, measuring 100,000 to 350,000 on the SHU heat index and have a reputation for bringing serious heat for such a small pepper. In addition to its heat, they are incredibly flavorful paired with slow-roasted pork. 

For tacos, use asa light topping or add to the sauce. 

Serranois hotter than jalapeño, rangingfrom 10,000 to 23,000 Scoville Heat Units, placing it in the medium-hot category. 

Mild to medium chili peppers include poblano with 1,000 to 2,000 SHU. Personally, this is my kind of “unhot” pepper – the heat is there, but it is approachable. It is great tasting when roasted and as the flesh softens, it transforms the dark green Poblano into something sweet and earthy. 

Cubanelle peppers typically range from 100 to 1,000 Scoville Heat Units and are considered very mild, sweet, and slightly spicier than a bell pepper. 

Sweet and mild bell peppershave a ZERO heat index and are valued for their sweet and crunchy flavor.   

There are other hotter pepper varieties that tip the SHU heat index,such as the Ghost Pepper at 855,000 and 1,041,427 SHU, placing it super intensely hot.  According to experts, a single ghost pepper packs roughly 200 times the punch of a jalapeño and is used in East Indian cooking. If you want your curry super hot, this is the pepper to use.   

So spice up your favorite Mexican taco fillings and sauces with the delicious variety of fresh, flavorful, and fiery peppers from your local markets.