Cajun and Blackening Seasoning
New Mexico Chiles are the dried form of the Red Anaheim Pepper. This chile has a thin flesh with an earthy chile flavor and undertones of wild cherries. This chile ranges from 2 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. The New Mexico Chile may be referred to as the California Chile or Chile Colorado. New Mexico Chiles are commonly used in Red Mexican or Southwestern sauces and is grown in Mexico. This mildly hot chile. Scoville heat units 8,000 – 12,000.
Suggested Use:
New Mexico Chiles are mildly hot and very popular in Southwest cooking. Great in sauces, salsa, rice dishes, stews and soups. Add directly to the cooking liquid along with other spices. Use in stir fry, or add to chicken or fish marinades.
4 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons dried granulated onion
3 tablespoons dried granulated garlic
1/4 cup cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons white pepper
3 tablespoons finely ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons ground thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons ground oregano
2 tablespoons ground New Mexican chile
1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile
Instructions:
Makes about 2 cups
Oh, mama! This one’s hot. Not in that obnoxious, burns you right off the bat kind of way, but in that slow, didn’t see it coming, want to take two more bites to feel the burn just that much longer kind of way. That’s a good kind of pain. This seasoning has got three different types of chiles to make it complex and give it some heat, plus white and black pepper to round it out. Use hot or smoked paprika instead of regular to alter the flavor, if you like. We don’t call for any salt in our recipe, but you can use as little or as much as you like without making the food overly salty. However, do remember to salt your fish in addition to using the spice in a recipe. And if you’re using the blend for blackening, get that exhaust fan going or be prepared to set off every smoke alarm you have. (Better yet, do your blackening outside on the grill in a cast-iron skillet!)
Combine the paprika, onion, garlic, cayenne, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, oregano, New Mexican chile, and chipotle chile in a bowl. Store in a covered container for at least 6 months.