Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe

Name: Habanero Hot Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 large carrots, chopped; 2 medium-sized red tomatoes, cut into quarters; Quarter of one Spanish onion, cut into strips; 3 habanero peppers, cut in half; 3 cloves of garlic, cut in half; Juice of one lime; 2 tablespoons white vinegar; Salt to taste

Why This Recipe Works

Carrots add color, body, and sweetness to this very spicy salsa.

The other day I arrived at the office to find a bottle on my desk. It was an old beer bottle, but inside wasn't the usual pale yellow liquid. Instead, this bottle was filled with a thick, orange liquid. This definitely wasn't beer.

Thinking it was garbage, I was about to throw away the bottle when a colleague came over and said, "You like hot sauce, don't you? Try this." And he reached over, twisted off the bottle cap and poured out a bit into a paper cup.

I asked him if he had any tortilla chips, but he didn't. No matter; you don't need chips to taste a salsa.

First, I took a sniff of the salsa. It smelled like vinegar, lime juice and garlic. The scent was innocent enough, but there must have been some powerful juices in that bottle as while smelling it my nose started to tickle and my eyes started to water.

Of course, if the salsa was orange, it had to have been made with habaneros—one of the most fiery chiles on the Scoville scale. (If you're not familiar with the Scoville scale, it's a way to measure up a chile's heat by adding up the level of capsaicin, which is the compound that gives a chile its fire.)

I took a swig. A few of my of my office mates looked at me in shock. "Isn't it a little too early to be doing salsa shots?" asked one.

But before answering, I poured myself another taste of the habanero salsa. I needed to confirm that it was indeed as refreshing and delicious as I thought it was. And yes, it was.

This salsa is extremely fiery, so please be cautious! If you have latex gloves, I highly recommend using them when chopping the peppers.

He left the bottle for me, saying I could pour it over my eggs, spread it on my sandwiches, or even use it as a dip for some chips from the office vending machine. Anytime I needed a quick hit of heat, this could be my source.

I asked him for the recipe and he obliged me. And after testing it to make sure it worked, here it is.

This recipe was originally published as part of the column "Serious Salsa."

August 2009

Habanero Hot Sauce

Prep 5 mins

Cook 10 mins

Total 15 mins

Serves 16 servings

A combination of sweet carrots and fiery, fruity peppers.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large carrots, chopped
2 medium-sized red tomatoes, cut into quarters
Quarter of one Spanish onion, cut into strips
3 habanero peppers, cut in half
3 cloves of garlic, cut in half
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons white vinegar
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add the carrots and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Then add to the skillet the onion, tomatoes, habaneros and garlic cloves and cook, stirring occasionally.
Transfer skillet contents to a blender and add lime juice and vinegar and pulse (you can add a bit of water a tablespoon at a time if it’s too thick).
Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

As noted in this recipe's headnote, it is strongly recommended you wear gloves while chopping the peppers. Oil can also be transferred accidentally, so be careful to thoroughly wipe off any cutting surfaces, and your knife, with soapy water.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
18	Calories
1g	Fat
2g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories	18
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g	1%
Saturated Fat 0g	1%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 77mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 8mg	42%
Calcium 8mg	1%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 76mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)