Lemon Chili by Erich Stekovics, spicy and lemony
Lemon Chili by Erich Stekovics is a condiment paste made from small yellow chili peppers that bring their own citrus notes. Sea salt and rapeseed oil are the only additions, which is why the fruity heat of the chili remains front and center, bright as a citrus fruit and fiery at the same time.
Lemon Chili is a spicy chili paste by Erich Stekovics from Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland. Each jar contains 130 grams of coarsely chopped yellow peppers, stirred with sea salt and rapeseed oil. A knife-tip is enough to give any dish both fire and freshness.
Citrus freshness before the fire
The paste in the jar is lemon yellow, coarse enough that individual pieces of the peppers can still be recognized.
On the spoon, the fruitiness hits first, bright and almost like lemon zest, with the heat following a second later. It is powerful, yet remains clearly defined and does not cover the entire dish like a veil. The sea salt elevates both sides—the fruit and the fire—while the rapeseed oil captures the fat-soluble aromas and distributes them throughout the dish.
The amount of fire in the jar depends on the summer, as chilis develop their heat more intensely in hot, dry years than in cool ones. Therefore, the heat level varies slightly from harvest to harvest, while the citrus note remains constant.
Chili paste with fish, poultry, and vegetables
Stekovics' paste performs best where the fire should not overwhelm everything else, such as alongside light meat and fish.
For pan-fried zander or steamed shrimp, a dab on the edge of the plate is enough, and in a marinade for chicken, the lemony notes work perfectly with the oil. Stirred into a dressing, it brings temperature to lettuce hearts and avocado, and spread over fried zucchini, it takes care of the seasoning all on its own.
It belongs with ginger, lime, and coconut anyway, as that is where heat and acidity interact. A thin smear on a slice of bread with cream cheese is enough to turn a snack into something special. Proceed sparingly and test your way forward with a small amount, because these peppers pack a punch.
Salt draws out, rapeseed oil carries the flavor
The peppers are cleaned and cut by hand before going into the jar, followed by salt and oil—and that is the extent of the recipe.
The salt draws water out of the flesh and preserves the paste without the need for cooking; by remaining raw, it retains its fresh, bright tone. The rapeseed oil surrounds and seals the pieces, which is why the color glows just as brightly after months as it did on the day of the harvest.
Coarsely chopped instead of finely pureed, the paste retains its texture, and the pieces release their heat gradually rather than all at once. At Stekovics, the yellow peppers grow in the open field, where they ripen throughout a long summer until fruit and fire come together.
A small jar for many dishes
Because the paste is such a powerful seasoning, one jar will last you through a whole range of dishes. Take it out with a clean spoon and smooth out the film of oil on top, and it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about four weeks. You can find more fire from Burgenland in the chili specialties from Stekovics, including the Tropic Habanero Mix and the Acacia Chili.
