Fish

Medium Heat

The Fish pepper is a rare heirloom with ornamental white-and-light-green variegated foliage and mottled, curled leaf edges. The 2- to 3-inch pepper changes from creamy white to light green with dark green striations, then orange with dark brown striations, before finally ripening solid red. The fruit has a bright, fresh, tangy flavor with subtle melon-like fruitiness, gentle sweetness, and quick, sharp heat. The fruit’s flavor profile changes as they mature at the creamy white stage, the fruit is crisp and slightly melon-sweet with milder heat; in the striped stage, the heat increases and the flavor becomes tarter and tangier, with herbal notes; when fully ripe, the fruit reaches peak heat, becoming bolder and sharper. The pepper is thought to be native to Mexico and later spread throughout the Caribbean. Seeds are believed to have been brought to America by enslaved people being held in Haiti. Fish peppers were grown exclusively by Black farmers from Philadelphia to Baltimore and along the coastal Mid-Atlantic states. By the late 1800s, the fruit was used in many crab houses and oyster bars, giving the pepper its name. The pepper’s rare creamy white immature stage was prized by chefs because they added heat to cream-based soups, such as cream of crab or seafood soup, without discoloring them. Fish pepper became a cherished secret ingredient only passed verbally between chefs. Fish pepper became rare in the early 1900s as urbanization expanded, then completely disappeared during the Great Depression as restaurants that used them closed. The peppers were thought to be extinct until 1995, when a man found some pepper seeds in his grandfather’s freezer, which apparently had been there for 50 years. He was wise enough to send those seeds to Seed Savers Exchange, who were able to reconstitute and cultivate them. Fish pepper pairs well with onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, kale, spinach, green beans, pineapple, poultry, and especially fish or shellfish. Considered very rare.

Heat level: 10,000 - 25,000 SHU

Plant height: 24 - 36 inches

Harvest: 70- 90 days from harvest

25 seeds

Did you know? Humidity can reduce the viability of pepper seeds over time, causing  seeds to stagnate. That’s why every seed pack includes a silica gel packet to help keep the seeds dry and fresh. To save seeds for next year, place the seed packet and silica gel packet together in a quart-size freezer bag, seal it, and store it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze. 

Share your pepper photos or favorite pepper recipe—and get free seeds!

Pepper photos: Please use photos on the Pequin pepper page as a guide. Submit one photo of your plant bearing fruit and another showing the pepper(s) in your hand. In return, you may choose any three seed varieties currently in stock. Exclusions apply.

Recipes: Submit your favorite pepper-dish recipe along with a photo of the finished dish and choose any three seed varieties currently in stock. Submit an authentic ethnic recipe to receive five seed packs. Exclusions apply.

Please send to: hotheadseedco@gmail.com