You’re lounging in a plush sea side cabana after an afternoon snorkel in transparent ocean water.
‘Quieres un poco de salsa picante?’
Errrr, what?
Your Significant Other has ordered some lunch while you were finishing your swim and a waiter has arrived with a plate of fish tacos.
The waiter repeats himself, ‘Quieres un poco de salsa picante?’
Sure.
Which one sir?
I don’t know!
If you’re in Mexico most likely you’ll be choosing from one of these 4 hot sauces to liven up your lunch.
And the good news is you can easily get them north of the border too. They can be livelier than some of the hot sauce standbys in the States so give ’em a chance and you might find a new keeper.
Cholula
This is probably the most common Mexican hot sauce north of the border. Originating in Jalisco, Mexico, it has a sharp burst of heat from the Piquin peppers. A reliable, general purpose hot sauce.
Heat factor: 6 out of 10
Tapatio
OK, technically it’s from Southern California, but you’ll still find it frequently in northern Mexico.
It’s the mildest of the batch we are looking at today. It’s a good gateway hot sauce and seems like a hybrid between traditional picante sauces and their milder American counterparts.
Heat factor: 5 out of 10
Valentina
Probably the most popular hot sauce in Mexican taquerias. Its reach is still expanding and now you can get it quite easily in the States.
It’s easily my go-to hot sauce, with an initial heat burst followed up by a subtle, tangy citrus flavor. Not all picante sauces can claim to have both heat and flavor, but this one does.
Heat factor: 6 out of 10
El Yucateco Habanero Sauce
Every kitchen needs an equivalent of El Yucateco habanero sauce. Sometimes you just need some heat!
Habaneros have 20-30 times the amount of capsaicin (heat) that jalapenos have, so as you would expect this sauce has real kick to go along with along with a sharp, tangy flavor.
Heat factor: 9 out of 10
One last note
There’s one other factor that makes Valentina my current hot sauce of choice. It can be seen here:
See how the Valentina has a higher viscosity than the other sauces? Why would this matter?
A higher viscosity means it will hold its shape just a bit more than the other sauces. So instead of liquid pooling at the bottom of your plate, you’ll get clumps of high-potency flavor clinging to each bite. Que bueno.
Keep an eye out for any of these hot sauces and consider adding them to your repertoire. Most can be found in gourmet stores or Latin markets, and sometimes in the ethnic food aisles of the bigger supermarkets.
Good luck!
Update: don’t forget that you can always make your own hot sauce at home and it’s super easy to do. We just put up a recipe for a homemade Habanero Hot Sauce using habaneros, peach, and pineapple and it is delish! And we also have recipes for some fiery Chipotle Hot Sauce and this vibrant Green Hot Sauce.
More details on How To Make Hot Sauce can be found here.
P.S. We use Valentina to make a wicked Michelada.
Still hungry?!
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Caroline
Thanks for this blog story. I came here to the web to look up the ingredients for Valentina salsa picante. That’s how I found you. Valentina is our families favorite. Full-time resident of Canada but are currently relocated to Mexico for a renovation project. I like Valentina because it has what I call a “tomato” taste just adds that extra punch to eggs, rice and especially homemade soups.
Patrick
Thanks Caroline, so glad you found my site! I hope you get a chance to do loads of cooking while you’re in Mexico 🙂
Marlene pierre
I’ve had all of them except el yucateco habanero sauce. I don’t really care for valentinas hot sauce but if it the only option I’ll use it. My favorite is tapatio cause it doesn’t have a vinegar taste to it like the others. I’ve also found another hot sauce that’s quite good it’s called Mexico Lindo salsa habanero is has a good kick to it and it’s very tasty. I can be hard to find sometimes but Amazon sells it and I find mine at food for less market when they have it.
Patrick
Hey Marlene thanks for mentioning the Mexico Lindo option! Cheers.
Jana DesForges
ok, now you’ve got my full attention. i discovered Valentina In kauai of all places, from a cafe with 30+ sauces to choose from— we sat there on the balcony for hours taste testing & the second i tasted V. i was hooked! you’ve got great taste! thanks for this blog; i look forward to exploring it! Mexican, Pleeeeease! lol
Patrick
Ha discovering Valentina in Kauai. Awesome 🙂
Michael
Chiming in from Southern CA. All these listed are my top 4 as well for their varying applications. I have all 4 currently in the pantry. El Yucateco and Tapatio for non-vinegar based pepper only flavor hot and medium. The others for their complexity despite the vinegar. They actually sell Valentina at the ’99¢ Only’ store from time to time.
An honorable mention I’d like to throw in from SoCal is ‘Lindy’s Taco Sauce’ interesting history on it as well. It is sweeter and medium heat, vinegar…I don’t know what it is, but it rocks on asada and pizza. Hard to find as far as I know outside of Southern California in stores and only a few chains carry it here. but it is available online. Also ‘Arizona Gunslinger’ Jalepeno sauce.
Patrick
Hey thanks for mentioning those hot sauces Michael, both are new to me. Cheers.