Minorcan Datil Pepper Jelly, Made with Bucks Spices Crushed Datil

If you grew up in St. Augustine, you know datil pepper jelly isn't a novelty condiment — it's a pantry staple. This sweet-hot jelly traces back to the Minorcan settlers who brought datil peppers to Florida over 200 years ago, and it's still the first thing that disappears at a holiday gathering when it's spooned over a block of cream cheese.

This version uses our crushed dried datil pepper flakes, sold right here by the ounce. Dried flakes give you that same fruity, slow-building datil heat as fresh peppers, with a longer shelf life and no chopping, seeding, or glove-wearing required. A little bloom in warm vinegar wakes the flakes back up before they go into the pot.

What You'll Need

Makes about 5 half-pint jars

• 3 tablespoons Bucks Spices crushed datil pepper flakes (use less for a milder jelly, more for serious heat)
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and finely minced
• 1½ cups apple cider vinegar, divided
• 5 cups granulated sugar
• 1 box (3 oz) powdered fruit pectin
• ½ teaspoon unsalted butter (optional — cuts down on foam)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Bloom the flakes.
Warm 1 cup of the apple cider vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling. Remove from heat, stir in the crushed datil flakes, and let steep for 15 minutes. This rehydrates the flakes and pulls their oils into the vinegar, so you get full datil flavor and heat instead of dry, gritty pepper bits in your finished jelly.

2. Combine the base.
Pour the bloomed vinegar and flakes into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the minced red bell pepper, the remaining ½ cup vinegar, the pectin, and the salt. Add the butter now if you're using it. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

3. Add the sugar.
Once the mixture is at a full boil, dump in all the sugar at once and stir until dissolved. Bring back to a hard, rolling boil — one that doesn't stop bubbling when you stir it — and boil for exactly 1 minute.

4. Skim and jar.
Pull the pot off the heat and skim any foam from the surface. Ladle the hot jelly into sterilized half-pint jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Wipe the rims clean before sealing so you get a proper seal, then apply lids and rings fingertip-tight.

5. Process for shelf-stable storage.
Process the filled jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (adjust the time if you're at higher altitude). Set them on a towel and let them cool undisturbed for 24 hours — you'll hear the satisfying pop of each lid sealing as they cool. Any jar that doesn't seal should go straight in the fridge and get used first.

6. Let it rest.
Resist the urge to crack a jar open right away. Give the jelly at least 24 hours after processing before you taste it — the heat and flavor keep developing and mellow into balance over that first day.

Notes from the Bucks Spices Kitchen

• Heat level is in your hands. Since our crushed datil flakes already have the seeds and membrane blended throughout, the heat is more evenly distributed than with fresh peppers — start with 3 tablespoons and adjust up next batch once you know your tolerance.
• Storage: Properly sealed jars keep in a cool, dark pantry for up to a year. Once opened, refrigerate and use within a few weeks.
• Serving ideas: Warm a jar slightly and pour over a block of cream cheese with crackers, brush it onto grilled shrimp or pork chops in the last few minutes of cooking, or stir a spoonful into black-eyed peas for a true Minorcan touch.

Grab your crushed datil pepper flakes by the ounce from Bucks Spices and bring a taste of St. Augustine into your own kitchen.