Habanero Chile

Cooking chicken as described in the recipe below results in really crisp, almost transparent skin (like that on Peking duck) and moist flesh.

The habanero, reputedly the "hottest chile in the world" has a complex, citrusy aroma and flavor. This salsa from the Yucatan is a classic accompaniment to meat and seafood cooked in an achiote recado a brick-red paste made with achiote, or annatto, seeds. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Don't waste your time looking for green peas in this recipe. In Jamaica, you'll often hear kidney beans called peas. Locals consume "rice and peas" so frequently that some people say it should be on the nation's coat of arms. In this version — which Lezlene Brown, a cook at a villa in Ocho Rios, serves to guests and family — the Scotch bonnet chile is there to contribute only the merest hint of heat and to amplify the flavors of the other ingredients.

Fried green plantains. When making tostones look for unripe plantains that are a deep shade of green: The recipe will not work with ripe plantains. Ideally, the plantains should be fried the day they are purchased, but they can be kept, wrapped well in a plastic bag and chilled, for 2 to 3 days.

For this salsa, we prefer the tang of a regular pineapple — not too ripe and not "extra sweet." Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 hr

My mother is a member of a club that meets during the months of July and August on Martha's Vineyard, where we have summered for more than thirty-five years. One season the members compiled a souvenir cookbook, and my mother contributed her recipe for a deviled ham spread that she makes from leftover ham. Like deviled eggs, it's devilishly simple and satanically good. It can be spread on pieces of celery or toast points. Those who do not want to use ham can substitute smoked chicken or smoked turkey. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

These fritters are called akara in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, and akla or koosé in Ghana. They're eaten as a snack, side dish, or breakfast, served with a hot pepper relish (ata). We think they make a great hors d'oeuvre. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 9 hr (includes soaking time)

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Liven up chicken pibil with these pretty-in-pink, spicy-as heck pickled onions.

Coffee beans soften the heat of the chile and bring out the other flavors in this paste-like marinade. You can also use the paste on chicken, as they do at Maroons, where this dish is served. Begin marinating the meat the day before.

The ultimate comfort food but with a Caribbean twist, this shepherd’s pie has a savory and spicy beef base with a creamy potato topping.

Breakfast or dinner? You get to pick with these one-pot curried chickpeas and eggs bursting with tingly heat and herbaceous flavor. 

Comfort and flavor are at the heart of this velvety squash and plantain soup loaded with aromatics and topped with a crunchy apple garnish. 

Pepperpot is a Guyanese dish of braised meat flavored with casareep (a spiced syrup made from cassava). It reheats well and is ideal for making several days ahead.

Cool as a cucumber, sure, but it’s the citrus, ginger, and chile that will keep you coming back sip after sip.

This traditional Haitian chicken stew is packed with flavor thanks to the mainstay spice blend known as epis.

This creamy Senegalese rice and lamb dish combines peanuts, okra, and black-eyed peas to build beautiful West African flavors in a comforting one-pot meal.

Epis, the punchy, peppery Haitian seasoning, gives this iconic dish its complex flavor profile.

All the flavors of Ayesha Curry’s mom’s braised oxtails, repackaged as a festive prime rib roast.