Portuguese Peri Peri Sauce

Roasted red capsicums, bird's-eye chillies, garlic, lemon and paprika come together in a rich Portuguese peri peri sauce with bright acidity and a lingering chilli heat. Finished with honey and butter, it is thick enough for brushing over chicken while still working beautifully as a table sauce.

Peri peri has always belonged with food cooked over fierce heat, where chilli, garlic and citrus meet the darker flavour of char. Roasting the capsicums first gives this version a sweeter, deeper base, while fresh bird's-eye chillies bring the heat that should always be present in a proper peri peri sauce.

A little honey rounds the sharper edges without turning it sweet, and butter gives the finished sauce a richness that clings beautifully to chicken. The result is fiery, tangy and deeply savoury, with enough body to brush generously over meat as it roasts.

Prep: 15 min · Cook: 20 min · Yield: 2 cups · Cuisine: Portuguese · Category: Condiment

Ingredients

Portuguese Peri Peri Sauce

• 2 large red capsicums
• 8 red bird's-eye chillies, stems removed
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp + 2 tsp honey
• 30 g salted butter
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 4 tsp cold water

Method

1. Preheat the grill to high. Halve the capsicums and remove the seeds and membranes. Arrange skin-side up on a tray and grill until the skins are deeply blistered and blackened.
2. Transfer the hot capsicums to a bowl and cover. Leave for 10 minutes to steam, then peel away the loose blackened skin. A few darker roasted edges can remain.
3. Add the roasted capsicum, bird's-eye chillies, garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, lemon zest and juice, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt to a high-powered blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and add the bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir through the honey and salted butter until the butter has completely melted into the sauce.
6. Mix the cornflour with the cold water until completely smooth. Pour the slurry into the simmering sauce while stirring, then cook briefly until the sauce thickens to a glossy, brushable consistency.
7. Remove from the heat. Use warm for glazing, or allow to cool before transferring to a clean jar or container.

Serving Suggestion

Use Portuguese Peri Peri Sauce as the glaze for Charred Peri Peri Roast Chicken, or brush it over grilled chicken and barbecued meats in the last minutes of cooking. It is just as good at the table for anyone who likes more heat, spooned alongside Portuguese Garlic Rice (Arroz de Alho) or with Portuguese Bread Rolls (Papo Secos) torn and dragged through it.

Storage Notes

Allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring to a clean airtight jar or container. Keep refrigerated for up to one week.

Notes

Bird's-eye chillies carry serious heat, and using them whole with only the stems removed is what gives the sauce its proper peri peri fire. For a milder sauce, halve them and scrape out the seeds before blending.

Do not worry about removing every dark piece from the roasted capsicum. A little of that char adds depth to the finished sauce.

The cornflour slurry is what takes the sauce from creamy and pourable to a consistency that will properly cling when used as a glaze.

The Grace Table Tip

Make the sauce ahead and keep it chilled, then gently warm the amount you need before brushing it over chicken or meat. A warm sauce spreads much more evenly than one used straight from the refrigerator.

The sauce will thicken further as it cools. Stir well after reheating before using it as a glaze.