Charred Habanero Jerk Sauce

Name: Charred Habanero Jerk Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: About 1 cup (≈1 small bottle)
Ingredients: Scallions (green onions): 4–5 — whole, roots trimmed; Habanero peppers: 3 — stems removed; adjust to taste; Garlic cloves: 4 — peeled; Roma tomato: 1 small — halved; Fresh lime juice: 60 g (¼ cup); Soy sauce: 45 g (3 Tbsp) — regular or low-sodium; Brown sugar, packed: 24 g (2 Tbsp); Neutral oil: 15–30 g (1–2 Tbsp) — for charring; Water: 30 g (2 Tbsp) + more as needed; Ground allspice: 1½ tsp; Dried thyme: 1 tsp — or 2 tsp fresh leaves; Ground ginger: ½ tsp — or 1 tsp grated fresh; Black pepper: ½ tsp; Ground cinnamon: ¼ tsp; Ground nutmeg: ¼ tsp; Ground clove: small pinch — optional; Kosher salt: ½ tsp + more to taste

Yield

Servings: 16
Serving size: 1 Tbsp (about 15 ml)
Total yield: About 1 cup (≈1 small bottle)

Time

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 25 min

Ingredients

Scallions (green onions): 4–5 — whole, roots trimmed
Habanero peppers: 3 — stems removed; adjust to taste
Garlic cloves: 4 — peeled
Roma tomato: 1 small — halved
Fresh lime juice: 60 g (¼ cup)
Soy sauce: 45 g (3 Tbsp) — regular or low-sodium
Brown sugar, packed: 24 g (2 Tbsp)
Neutral oil: 15–30 g (1–2 Tbsp) — for charring
Water: 30 g (2 Tbsp) + more as needed

Jerk-spice component

Ground allspice: 1½ tsp
Dried thyme: 1 tsp — or 2 tsp fresh leaves
Ground ginger: ½ tsp — or 1 tsp grated fresh
Black pepper: ½ tsp
Ground cinnamon: ¼ tsp
Ground nutmeg: ¼ tsp
Ground clove: small pinch — optional
Kosher salt: ½ tsp + more to taste

Instructions

1. Char the aromatics

Heat a grill or broiler to high.
Toss scallions, habaneros, garlic, and tomato with the neutral oil.
Grill or broil, turning occasionally, until well blistered and lightly blackened in spots, 5–8 minutes.

2. Prep the peppers

For less heat, slit the habaneros and scrape out some or all of the seeds and membranes.
For maximum heat, leave the peppers intact (just remove any stems).

3. Blend the sauce

Transfer the charred scallions, habaneros, garlic, and tomato to a blender or food processor.
Add lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and all of the jerk-spice component.
Blend until mostly smooth but still slightly textured. If needed, add a splash of water at a time to help it move.

4. Briefly cook

Pour the blended sauce into a small saucepan.
Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat and cook 5–10 minutes, stirring often, until slightly thickened and the raw edge is gone.
If it gets too thick, loosen with a bit more water or lime juice.

5. Adjust and cool

Taste and adjust with more lime for brightness, more brown sugar for sweetness, more soy for salt/umami, or a pinch more allspice/thyme for jerk flavor.
Let cool completely before transferring to a clean jar or bottle.

Notes / Make-ahead / Variations

Yield: about 1 cup (roughly one small bottle); use about ¼ cup per pound of chicken, pork, shrimp, or vegetables as a marinade.
Marinate proteins 1–12 hours in the refrigerator before cooking.
For use as a finishing or hot sauce, thin with a bit of lime juice or water until pourable.
Heat level: start with 2 habaneros for moderate heat; use 3–5 for a very hot sauce.
Sauce keeps about 2 weeks refrigerated; for longer storage, freeze in small portions.

Nutrition

Nutrient	Full Recipe	Per Serving (1 Tbsp (about 15 ml))
Calories	400	25
Protein	8 g	0.5 g
Fat	20.8 g	1.3 g
Carbs	44.8 g	2.8 g
Fiber	6.4 g	0.4 g
Sugars	30.4 g	1.9 g
Sodium	3840 mg	240 mg