Fermented Mango Habanero Sauce

Earthy and sweet, tropical and fiery

Course Hot Sauce

Keyword Habanero Pepper

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Fermenting Time 14

Total Time 14 35

Servings cups

Calories 151kcal

Author Curtis Farmer

Ingredients

Fermentation:

1 1/2 pounds habaneros
5 cloves garlic
canning salt
water

To be added after fermentation:

1/2 onion medium-sized
2 mangos peeled and diced
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice approximately the juice of 2 limes
24 ounces pineapple juice
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tablespoon allspice
1/4 tablespoon cumin
1/4 tablespoon ground clove
1/2 tablespoon ginger

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Fermentation:

Remove outside layer of garlic cloves and smash them.
De-stem and roughly chop the habaneros.
Add garlic and habaneros to a Mason jar.
Next step is the 3.5% salt water brine. Find a vessel that can hold roughly 3 cups of water and zero it out on a kitchen scale.
Add water to the vessel.
In grams, multiply the weight of the water by .035. Once figured, zero your scale again.
Add that amount of salt to water.
Once fully dissolved, add the water to the Mason jar. Ensure everything is covered and there is still headspace.
If you don't own a fermentation airlock, rubber band a baggy over the top. *Do not screw on a canning lid.
Ferment for at least two weeks in a cool dark space.

Make the sauce:

Save a cup of the pepper brine from the Mason jar and discard the rest of the brine.
Combine all ingredients (except for 1 cup of pepper brine) in blender.
Blend sauce until smooth.
Add sauce to pot and simmer covered on low for 20 minutes.
If the sauce is too thick at this point, add pepper brine until desired consistency is reached.
Optional: Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer (but it's not necessary.)
Cool then refrigerate overnight before using to allow the spices to meld.

Notes

*Always take extra care when sanitizing your fermentation vessel and read up on how to ferment vegetables. If there is any doubt that the fermentation went sour, throw it away. A white yeast will develop sometimes and that is completely healthy.

If you like your sauce on the mild side, substitute 1/2 of the habaneros with yellow or orange bell peppers. It makes quite a bit so feel free to half the recipe but don't change % of brine solution. This is by far my most popular hot sauce. Give it a try! Will last for several months in fridge.

Nutrition