The fish pepper is a small Chili pepper cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum. It is an heirloom variety developed and preserved by African American communities in the Chesapeake. The plant has variegated foliage and its peppers ripen from white with green streaks to a dark red color.
 
Fish peppers are typically hot peppers, and their heat can range from 5,000 to 30,000 on the Scoville scale. The peppers grow to roughly 1.5 to 2 inches (3.8 to 5.1 cm) in length, with the plant itself growing to roughly 2 feet (61 cm) in height.
 
 
Why is it called a fish pepper?
By 1900, long before Old Bay was crowned Baltimore's king seasoning for fish, the fish pepper offered its invisible heat to the white sauces that accompanied seafood dishes, giving the plant its name and notoriety.