Fermented Hot Sauce

Naturally fermented hot sauce is alive and complex — unlike cooked vinegar sauces, it has depth that develops over days. Make it in summer when chiles are at their best and you will have sauce for the whole year.

What You Need

• 1 lb fresh hot peppers — a mix of varieties (jalapeños, serranos, Fresnos) for complexity
• 4 garlic cloves
• Non-iodized salt — 1 tsp per cup of filtered water (2% brine)
• Filtered water

Method

1. Remove pepper stems. Chop roughly — keep the seeds for full heat.
2. Pack into a clean wide-mouth jar with garlic.
3. Make 2% brine: dissolve 1 tsp salt per cup of water. Pour over peppers to cover completely.
4. Weigh peppers below the brine surface with a small jar of water or a brine-filled bag.
5. Cover with a cloth secured with a rubber band. Ferment at room temperature for 5–10 days.
6. Taste from day 3. When flavor is complex, pleasantly tangy, and the heat has mellowed, blend until smooth.
7. Add a little brine to adjust consistency. Strain if desired. Bottle in glass.

Tips & Notes

• The fermentation mellows the raw heat and adds a fruity, complex backdrop that vinegar can't replicate.
• Keeps refrigerated for over a year.

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