If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you might have seen me mention my love of habaneros before. There are some dishes (from the Yucatán Peninsula) that just wouldn’t be the same without some Habanero salsa on the side, like Cochinita Pibil, Papadzules, tacos, etc.
Creamy Habanero Salsa
This recipe is rather easy to make; the salsa lasts at least 2 weeks in the fridge and goes well with grilled meats, roasted chicken, fried fish, and –my favorite– hot dogs. Yes, I said hot dogs. The first time I tried this salsa was at a hot dog street stand in Chetumal, Quintana Roo.
With just one bite of that hot dog, I have completely blown away, the Habanero salsa really changes the whole concept of the popular American street food. The way to prepare this salsa is very similar to an aioli, but without the eggs, and using Habanero Peppers (by the way, you can also substitute any other pepper, dried or fresh). I also like the árbol pepper version of this salsa.
Habanero Peppers are commonly eaten in the Yucatan Peninsula and are usually sold fresh to make salsas. They were not readily available all over Mexico until a couple of decades ago, when they started growing in popularity and started to appear even in the northern states of Mexico. Today, I can easily buy them even here in the US.
The Habanero Pepper is considered an exceptionally hot pepper by the Scoville Scale. If you are trying this pepper for the first time, and are not used to hot peppers, be sure to have a glass of milk nearby to mitigate the burning sensation after tasting it. I don’t like to add any additional herbs or spices to this sauce, in order to enjoy the aroma and flavor of the Habanero peppers.
How to make Creamy Habanero Salsa
DIRECTIONS:
- Place peppers, garlic and water in a small saucepan (with the lid slightly covering it) over medium heat and cook until peppers are soft and tender, about 10-12 minutes. You will need to open your kitchen windows to keep the area well ventilated, or turn on the exhaust fan to avoid eye irritation. I live in an apartment, and usually turning on the exhaust fan and placing the lid on the saucepan is enough to avoid any discomfort from the pungent steam coming out of the cooking peppers. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Once cooked, remove the peppers and garlic from the saucepan and place into a blender with the remaining cooking water, which by this time has been reduced.
- Let the peppers cool for some minutes and then turn your blender on to puree the peppers. Open the lid while the blender is still running and slowly add the oil to a steady stream. This last step will emulsify the salsa, giving it a creamy texture. Pour salsa into a small bowl and season with salt. Enjoy with some Steak and Chorizo Tacos!
Now, you tell me… what is your favorite salsa?
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
📖 Recipe
Creamy Habanero Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 Habanero peppers
- 1 small garlic clove peeled
- 1 cup of water
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place peppers, garlic and water in a small saucepan (with the lid slightly covering it) over medium heat and cook until peppers are soft and tender about 10-12 minutes. You will need to open your kitchen windows to keep the area well ventilated or turn on the exhaust fan to avoid eye irritation. I live in an apartment, and usually turning on the exhaust fan and placing the lid on the saucepan is enough to avoid any discomfort from the pungent steam coming out of the cooking peppers.
- Once cooked, remove the peppers and garlic from the saucepan and place into a blender with the remaining cooking water, which by this time has been reduced.
- Let the peppers cool for some minutes and then turn your blender on to puree the peppers. Open the lid while the blender is still running and slowly add the oil to a steady stream. This last step will emulsify the salsa, giving it a creamy texture. Pour salsa into a small bowl and season with salt. Enjoy with some Steak and Chorizo Tacos!
Sam
I love this recipe. I use this salsa more as a hot sauce and serve it on eggs, pasta, and really anything that could use a nice burn.
I’ve made this recipe a dozen times and have discovered a few things others might find helpful.
1. After emulsifying everything in the blender, if you plan to store this in a squeeze bottle (which is a great way to uniformly control the heat), I recommend passing the sauce through a fine Chinoise to remove any particulates.* This will keep the squeeze bottle nozzle clear of any bits of seeds or pulp that were not completely emulsified in the blender.
*If your blender is crummy like mine and you end up with a lot of particulates, pressing the sauce through the Chinoise with a silicone spatula can speed up the process.
2. Add ¼ tsp of xantham gum. Another reason I used a squeeze bottle is because this sauce will separate out into its water and oil parts. Rather than shake the bottle every time before use, I would refrigerate the sauce in a squeeze bottle upside down so that when the water and oil separated, I could squeeze the water out easily. To homogenize the sauce permenantly, I add xantham gum. That being said, I boil the peppers in only about ⅔ cup water, I find a full cup, as the recipe calls for, makes the sauce is too runny.
Addendum 1: If you want to give this sauce a stronger flavor profile, try adding more garlic or even 5-6 cloves of garlic confit for a more savory palate presentation.
Jennifer
Simple, spicy and addictive. I live in Mérida, Yucatán and I love the salsa you find on the tables at the local mercados. I was looking for something similar and this delivered. Although they are usually not creamy this still provided the same tangy fresh habanero flavor. I'm still searching for that market recipe (chopped habanero, sometimes white onion, lime or sour orange, salt, this is my best guess), if you have one I'd welcome it. I'm happy to discover your site, I moved from the US and am exploring Mexican cooking. Gracias!
Mely Martínez
Hello Jennifer,
The popular habanero & onion salsa you find almost at restaurants and homes in the Yucatan Peninsula only requires chopped or sliced onion, chopped habanero, and bitter orange juice.
Known as "naranja Agrai" in México. If you do not find it, use lime juice. Season with salt and let it marinate for about 20 minutes before serving.
Buen Provecho!
Michael
You can add a carrot (boiled/cooked, so it is soft) into the blender, and it will help thicken up the sauce w/o changing the flavor (at least as far as I could tell).
Kim
I just made and it was like water, maybe a full cup of water not needed. When I added my oil, it did not emulsify. So bummed. Not sure what I did wrong, I have made many of your other recipes and love them, thanks for sharing!!!
Mely Martínez
Hello Kim,
Not sure what when wrong with your salsa. Pouring the oil into the salsa is doing while the blender I still running. But, you can try reducing the water content to half next time. By the way, you can use any other
pepper for this recipe.
DANETTE
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe. My Whole Foods delivery this week messed up and I got 22 habaneros instead of one! So I don't take the seeds out before putting the peppers in the blender?
Mely Martínez
Hello Danette,
No, you don't need to, unless you want to. That is a very spicy job. You can also check this recipe for Pickled Habaneros.
anna sanchez
Can this salsa be frozen?
Mely Martínez
Hello Anna,
Yes, it can be frozen, just stir well after defrosting it.
Lucas Buhr
hot but lacking depth and a bit too thin in my opinion.
mmartinez
Hello Lucas,
The purpose of this salsa is to be hot and slightly thin, just exactly as you described. This is one of the most popular salsas in the Yucatán. And the flavor is given the Habanero. Thank you for trying it and happy cooking!
Connie
Can you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
mmartinez
Hello Connie,
sure you can, use one that doesn't have a strong flavor. Provecho!
Jacque
This sauce looks delicious! Do you know how long it would last in the refrigerator?
mmartinez
Hello Jacque,
This salsa will last about 5-7 days in the fridge. Since it has oil in it, it helps to preserve it.
Sylvis
Just made it!! It's so good. I've always Loved Habaneros and love the rich taste of the habanero. Yes it's spicy, but go easy on it..
Anonymous
Could you use different peppers to make a lesser SPICEY salsa
Anonymous
It works with any chili pepper. Jalapeno is good.
Anonymous
I can't wait to try this.
Larry M
Very Very Hot !!! but very very good!!!