Fermented Serrano Hot Sauce Food

SERRANO HOT SAUCE

Steps:

• 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.

SERRANO HOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Place serrano peppers, garlic, and salt in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the vinegar through the feed tube; process until sauce is smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Pour sauce into a saucepan; bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Pour sauce into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator for at least 1 day.
• Strain sauce through a fine-mesh strainer; store in the refrigerator.

FERMENTED SERRANO PEPPER HOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Pull the stems off the peppers and wash. Slice them down the middle with a sharp knife. Pack them into your wide-mouth quart mason jar as tightly as you can. Push the garlic and onions in there.
• Stir the salt into warm water until dissolved. Allow the water to come to room temperature, then pour the water over the contents of the jar, taking care to cover the peppers completely.
• Place a fermentation weight over the chiles and garlic to hold them under the brine. Or push a jelly jar in the mouth of the wide mouth canning jar (removing a bit of brine may be required).
• Place the fermenting lid and airlock on the jar and seal tightly. Allow the jars to sit at room temperature for up to 10 days. The peppers should start to bubble around the end of day 1.
• Transfer the chiles and brine to a high quality blender. Blend like crazy.
• You have two options: strain the pulp through several fine layers of cheesecloth. Then bottle up and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Or, pour the sauce directly into hot sauce bottles without straining through cheesecloth (it'll be much thicker).

SPICY SERRANO HOT SAUCE - RECIPE

Steps:

• First, ferment the serrano peppers. Process your fresh peppers in a food processor. If you don't have a processor, use a mortar and pestle or simply rough chop them. Pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
• Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go. Discard or save any remaining brine for another use. It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
• Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, sobe sure to monitor it during this time. "Burp" the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, "How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash", for further instruction.
• After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
• Pour the fermented serrano peppers, including the brine, into a pot along with garlic, vinegar and tequila. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. NOTE: If you feel the brine will make your hot sauce too salty, you can strain the peppers and use fresh water instead, just enough to cover the peppers in the pot. Or, use a combination of brine and fresh water.
• Cool slightly then add to a food processor with the lime juice. Process until smooth.
• Strain the mixture to remove the solids, if desired. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.

FERMENTED HOT CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Snip the stems from the chilies, but leave their green tops intact.
• Combine all all ingredients in a food processor, or mince by hand, until chopped to a fine pasty texture.
• Spoon the chili paste into a glass mason jar and allow it to fermented, covered, at room temperature for five to seven days.
• After the chili paste has bubbled and brewed for about a week, set a fine-mesh sieve over a mixing bowl and spoon the fermented chili paste into the sieve. With a wooden spoon, press the chili paste into the sides of the sieve so that the sauce drips from the sieve into the waiting mixing bowl.
• Once you've pressed and pushed the chili sauce through the sieve, pour the sauce from the bowl into jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator. The sauce will keep for several months.
• Don't discard any remaining chili paste; rather, use it to season stir-fries, eggs, Bloody Mary`s -- .