This Serrano Hot Sauce is for those of you who need HEAT on standby in the fridge!
Not only do Serranos have more heat than Jalapenos, but I also added a Habanero to this batch and that really amped it up.
You can consider this recipe a good middle ground between the recent Jalapeno Hot Sauce and the more explosive Habanero Hot Sauce.
How To Make Serrano Hot Sauce
This pic is the best way to show the differences between Serranos and Jalapenos:
Chiles tend to get hotter as they get smaller, so the Serranos will typically pack quite a punch compared to Jalapenos. Those are Scoville units shown underneath the chiles and that's a quick way to gauge their heat level.
In day-to-day cooking you can consider these chiles interchangeable because you're typically only using a small amount.
But we're using a half pound worth of Serranos in this recipe, and that difference in heat really adds up when you're using 20 of 'em!
So for anyone looking for a mild hot sauce, this ain't it 🙂
I will also add a Habanero to this recipe when I have one on hand. The tiny, fiery Habanero will increase the heat even more so please consider it optional.
Be sure to use caution when handling hot chiles.
I typically just give my hands a good washing afterwards, but gloves are a decent option when handling fireballs like Habaneros. And no touching your eyes or nose unless you want to know what it's like to be pepper sprayed! More tips on working with hot chiles.
Start by cooking 1/4 roughly chopped onion in a glug of oil along with a whole, peeled garlic clove
Once the onion has softened we'll add the following spices:
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
1/4 teaspoon cumin
some freshly cracked black pepper
Let this cook briefly and then add the remaining ingredients:
the rinsed and de-stemmed Serrano peppers
a single Habanero (optional)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Bring this mixture up to a simmer and then add it all to a blender along with:
8-10 cilantro sprigs
juice of 1 lime
Combine well and take a taste, but consider yourself warned!
It has real zip so just try out a small drop at first to see how your palate reacts.
Zipppp!
You'll have enough for two 5 oz. hot sauce sized bottles.
If you don't have any of these bottles on hand be sure to check your fridge! Sometimes you'll find old, forgotten hot sauces in the back corner that are willing to be emptied out and cleaned.
This Serrano Hot Sauce works great as a final burst on tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. And you'll find that most green sauces get along well with eggs dishes so don't forget those!
It'll keep for weeks at a time in the fridge and only takes a few minutes to put together. Sound like a good deal?
Buen Provecho.
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Serrano Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. Serrano peppers (approx. 18-20)
- 1 Habanero pepper (optional)
- 1/4 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- juice of 1 lime
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
- 8-10 cilantro sprigs
Instructions
- Give the Serranos a good rinse and de-stem them. Be sure to wash your hands after handling them. More tips on handling hot chiles.
- Saute a roughly chopped 1/4 onion and 1 whole, peeled garlic clove in a glug of oil over medium heat.
- Once the onion is browning you can add 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional). Briefly cook until fragrant and then add the de-stemmed Serranos, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. You can optionally add a rinsed and de-stemmed Habanero pepper. Bring to a simmer and then add everything to a blender.
- Add 8-10 sprigs cilantro and the juice of 1 lime to the blender. Combine well or to your desired consistency. I usually leave it a bit chunky but you can always blend it thinner.
- Add mixture to two 5 oz. bottles or a small Mason jar. Store in the fridge where it will keep for weeks at a time.
Notes
Want to see the latest recipe? It's this Mole Poblano sauce.
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Kim
Is the onion white or yellow??
Patrick
Hi Kim, you can use either but I typically use white onions. Cheers.
Maria
Made a triple batch with garden output, can I freeze it for storage? Thank you! Wonderful recipe.
Patrick
Ooh lucky you! Yeah I think you could freeze it, but to be honest I haven't tried that yet and I'm not too sure how much flavor you will lose. Cheers.
Diane
I have red serranos. Will they work the same?
Patrick
Hi Diane, I haven't tried it with red serranos yet but I would go for it if in your shoes. It may come out a bit sweeter but you should still get a great result. Cheers.
Heather Seeley
Loved the sauce! Mine also turned out too thick. I just added more lime juice to mine and it turned out excellent.
Patrick
Thanks Heather!
Kj
Any idea iff this will last at room temp for a couple of days if I mailed aome?
Patrick
Hmmm tough one KJ. I haven't tried that yet and wouldn't be comfortable giving an exact time. Sorry I can't give a better answer. Cheers.
Matt Plock
This recipe was so good and hot, I simmered everything a little longer to soften them up and blended came to a soupy consistency, love this recipe!!!
Patrick
Thanks Matt!
Dusty
Wasn’t what I was expecting. Way too thick straight from the blender to go into hot sauce bottles. Didn’t know what to cut it with without altering the flavor to thin out. Had to put in 1/2 pint jars. Suggestions
Patrick
Hey Dusty. I've had batches like that too. You can always blend it fine and thin it out with a splash of water if you want, but lately I just leave it chunky because I like the flavor 🙂 Cheers.
Travis
You can also run it through a fine strainer and work it through with a spoon.
SAJ
The olive oil may be tye culprit for the "thickness". Let the sauce sit out to reach room temp...it should flow pretty well after that.
Ann
can you use serrano peppers that were frozen?
Patrick
Hi Ann! I haven't tried that but I think you would still be able to get a good result. Cheers.
Mary
Hello! I made this a week ago and now it is so thick it won't come out of the bottle. Any suggestions on how to thin it out a bit?
Patrick
Hey Mary!
Yup I know what you mean. Sometimes when it sits for a few days the liquid will separate from the solids and it can chunk up when trying to pour. A super vigorous 10 second shake usually solves it for me so that is worth trying. And if that particular batch continues to separate like that you could always store it in a wide-mouthed Mason jar and spoon it on your tacos, eggs, fingers, etc.
Cheers.