Recipes with Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Crushed red pepper flakes are dried and ground, fully ripened (i.e.red) chili peppers. Which chili peppers, you ask? Usually it's a combination of different types, including jalapeño, Fresno and cayenne.

Because all the heat-containing seeds and ribs of the peppers are left in, crushed red pepper flakes are quite spicy and provide a great way to add heat to a dish.

I love to add them to sauces, like in this sweet and sour sesame tofu and these sweet and spicy shrimp. Because red pepper flakes are dried, they are equally great in dry rubs, like the jerk seasoning for this jerk shrimp pasta dish.