Hot Sauces!

I love spicy food and hot sauces are one of my favourite condiments. They aren't expensive and after having lived in France for so long when even red tabasco was something of a rarity I like to have a good selection of them on hand.

Here's a quick look at what I've got in the fridge at the moment.

I like Jamaican hot sauces a lot. 

Walkerswood Zesty One Stop Savory Sauce reminds me of an 

English breakfast sauce such as HP but spicier. Pickapeppa is a classic Jamaican sauce - this is the one to have on your Jamaican patties - it tastes similar to Walkerswood but puts me in mind of a thicker, spicier Worcestershire Sauce. Pickapeppa Gingery Mango Sauce is just that - a gingery mango sauce - it's flavour leans more towards India and its not 'chili type hot' but has a good kick of ginger to liven it up.  Grace Sweet and Spicy Hot Pepper Sauce isn't a really hot one. It's a sweet sauce spiked with a little hot red pepper to give it a kick and it reminds me a lot of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Finally, Jamaica Hell Fire Hot Pepper Concentrate is one that I eyed warily before trying but it isn't as hot as the label implies. Basically this is made of chilies in vinegar but is nicely balanced rather than blow your head off hot!

Mexico has some of the best hot sauces and there are many, many of them. I have just three at the moment though because I have so many Jamaican ones. 

Tapatio is a classic red pepper hot sauce in the same vein as Tabasco. I'm also a fan of Valentina, a red pepper sauce that is quite vinegary. I really like Goya products in general and especially their Salsita. I love the wooden tops that the bottles have and the sauces are great. At the moment I have Plenty Hot Jalepeno which is one of my all time favorite hot sauces - I love it on pizza! - and Pure Fire Ripe Habanero. There's also a Chipotle one in this range that I need to repurchase that is amazing.

I don't tend to have a lot of Asian hot sauces as I tend to put heat into Asian food rather than on it. Two that I always have in stock though are Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (it's great with fish cakes as well as won tons etc) and Sriracha, a ketchup like hot sauce which goes with everything. I love to mix this with mayonnaise - it's so good 

Finally there's the classic one... Tabasco. In things or on things this one isn't as hot as you would think and there is a green jalapeno version that is the bomb - a little bit spicy and very smooth.

As you can see I do love a little hot sauce. I've not made too many recs for what goes best with what because I think it is all a matter of personal preference and what you feel like at the time. 

Right I have to go to the shops - I need some green Tabasco and Chipotle Salsita...