Piri-Piri

A Portuguese preparation built on the small, fierce piri-piri chili, brought to Portugal through its African colonies and now woven through the country's cooking. The fish, most often sardines or mackerel, is packed in olive oil with piri-piri and sometimes bay leaf, garlic, or pickled vegetables, and the heat builds slowly rather than arriving all at once. The spiced oil is as much the point as the seasoning, carrying the chili through the whole tin. Good over rice, on bread, or tipped into noodles where the oil becomes the sauce.