I only found them to be bitter if used while still green.
Habs are not bitter at all. In fact, they are quite fruity and delicious. We have a tub of fresh habanero salsa from the local taqueria in the fridge for snacking, and it is hotter than hell and rather sweet, even though there is nothing but habs, tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro in it.
Strange. I’ve never found there to be anything “fruity” about the taste of them myself. Maybe I’m a genetic freak or something.
This recipe for Jamaican hot pepper shrimp calls for Scotch bonnets, but I’ve made it several times with habaneros, and it’s delicious. Because the habaneros just form part of the broth in which the shrimp cook, they impart some spice but are not overwhelming.
Are you a supertaster with any other food? Does cilantro taste like soap?
No, cilantro doesn’t taste soapy at all to me.
Sigh. That might be a good use of them, for you. It would not be a good use for me. The amount of heat which is for you “a little extra” would for me be “too much”.
The wife’s suggestion is that, if you find them bitter, you should roast them then peel them. The heat and flavor is all in the flesh, and it may be that you are tasting bitterness in the skin. That or you have been eating unripe peppers.
Good luck, because the joy of habs is something everybody should be able to enjoy.
Chronos - The best bet is to find friends to pass the peppers on to. There really aren’t many things to do with them if you can’t take their heat.
I, personally, describe the heat level of my chili as “medium”, although I’ve had a few people tell me that my personal definition of medium is slightly off. I don’t describe anything I cook as “hot” unless eating it causes me to start sweating.
Perhaps I’ll try that - I usually just buy them fresh and chop them up raw.
Well, yeah, everyone describes the heat level of their own chili as “medium”. That’s right up there with everyone describing themselves as politically “moderate”. But I also know that the majority of the population describes my “medium” chili as “hot”. And of course, there’s also a (much smaller) segment of the population that would doubtless call my chili “mild”.
And I never said that I can’t eat habaneros. I said that I can’t eat them without a lot of dilution. There’s a difference.
Oh, I can make “hot” chili if I want to impress/scare people. I don’t prefer to because you have to sacrifice too much flavor in the name of pure spiciness.
I love habs they are my prefered pepper since they have good spice and a great floral flavor. My wife’s family is the kind that thinks pepper is spicy and I’ve even gotten them to throw a hab into their spaghetti sauce generally one pepper per jar although I prefer two.
If you’re looking to preserve the peppers but can’t handle the spice your best bet will be making a powder. Cut the top off the peppers so they stand up and bake them at 150 for about 4 hours, grind with a coffee grinder and then you can use tiny parts of a pepper in any dish you’d like.