Fermented Raspberry Habanero Hot Sauce
I was shocked to see how the inclusions of dark berries such as raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries resulted in hot sauces with incredibly vibrant final colors. The raspberries used in this recipe turn very pale in color over the course of the week, as the red pigment transfers slowly out of the berries and into the salt water brine.
Raspberries themselves are fairly tart, so the sauce without any added sugars is still quite tart and acidic, and not sweet. I added a few strawberries into the mix here as well, just because I had a few extra berries sitting around from another batch of hot sauce that I was making with strawberries.
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Fermentation Time: 1 week, or longer if desired
Yield: 1.5 quarts
Instructions
13 steps1
Clean a two-quart mason jar with hot soapy water, and set aside to completely dry.
2
Add the raspberries, watermelon, strawberries, onion, and peppers to your fermentation vessel.
3
In a separate jar, mix together the water with the Kosher salt until the salt has dissolved completely.
4
Add the liquid brine on top of the fruits and vegetables, and press the vegetables down until they are submerged below the surface of the brine.
5
Cover the submerged contents with a glass or ceramic weight, and close the lid on the jar.
6
Allow the contents to ferment at room temperature for roughly one week, or until you are satisfied with the degree of fermentation and acidity.
7
Make sure to carefully open the jars at least once per day as they ferment, and make sure the contents remain submerged.
8
When you are ready to finalize and bottle your hot sauce, discard 1/3 of the liquid brine.
9
Stir together the apple cider vinegar with the white granulated sugar until the sugar has dissolved, and add the sugar and vinegar mixture to your fermented hot sauce mixture with the remaining brine.
10
Blend the contents using an immersion blender or food processor, and taste the contents.
11
Add more salt, sugar, or vinegar, if desired.
12
Strain the hot sauce through a fine mesh strainer. You don’t have to strain the sauce here, I just find the raspberry seeds to be texturally unappealing.
13
Transfer the strained hot sauce into individual bottles, and store the bottles in the fridge to cool down.
