Now that I have small boys to feed and am cooking with chilli less, I've been turning more and more to ideas like this chilli salt or Marcos chilli oil so the adults can get their fire power at the table.
In fact we always have a jar on the dining table and these days it gets more use than the plain sea salt flakes!
This is more of an idea than a recipe. Just keep playing around with the levels until you're happy. I find as we eat through the jar the sea salt flakes float to the top and get eaten more quickly so I sometimes just top up with more salt before adding any extra chilli.
makes 1 tablespoon
takes: 5 seconds ;)
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
1/2 - 1 teaspoons chilli powder or 1-2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes.
1. Combine salt and chilli in a small jar. Taste and adjust by adding more salt or chilli as needed.
Recipes to Use Your Chilli Salt
Variations & Substitutions
Smoky - add in 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika - adds lovely colour too!
Peppery - add a teaspoon freshly ground black pepper for an all-in-one seasoning!
Different Chilli - you can crush your own dried chilli peppers in a spice grinder. I love experimenting with different chilli peppers. My current favourite is an Indian kashmiri chilli which is hot but not insane and has a lovely smoky complexity.
Regular salt - if you don't have any fancy sea salt flakes, fine gound table salt will work even if it doesn't look as pretty - just reduce the amount to 2 teaspoons fine salt.
Lime & Chilli - double the chilli and salt and add in the zest of a small lime. Amazing on avocado.
Larger batch - I usually make quadruple this amount at a time. Feel free to go as big as you like!
Waste Avoidance Strategy
chilli & salt - keep in the pantry.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just make as per the recipe but keep. Will keep in the pantry (or on the dining table) for months.