El Yucateco – Caribbean Hot Sauce

El Yucateco, once a brand that required trips to Mexican grocery stores to find, has been expanding their reach into mainstream grocery and retail outlets to the point where their sauces are rapidly approaching the same kind of name recognition as Valentina, Tapatio, or Cholula.

Personally I’m happy to see this because along with Valentina (black) El Yucateco is one of the the two brands of Mexican style hot sauces I always keep on hand. My personal preference is for their XXX Hot Mayan Style sauce, which I’ve likely purchased easily 100 or more bottles of over the years, but their Caribbean Style sauce has been another stalwart favorite.

The El Yucateco line has their standard red and green sauces, which come in bright neon colors through the use of food dyes, and their more naturally-colored sauces, which are all of the rest. This sauce, the Caribbean Style, differentiates itself from the standard habanero sauces not only through its eschewing of bright dyes, but also through the inclusion of carrots.

Carrots are a common ingredient in Caribbean style sauces. Marie Sharp’s of Belize uses them in almost all of the sauces they make, and you’ll see them pop up in many other brands from South and Central America as well as the Caribbean islands. Carrots and Habaneros are a wonderful pairing, as the sweetness and body of the carrot is a natural compliment to the bright fruity and spicy taste of the habanero. The combination works by adding just that subtle sweetness without going overboard as with mango or pineapple habanero sauces where the sweetness can dominate.

This sauce is quite balanced, and while the carrots do mute the heat some, there is still a spicy kick. Add some onions for more of a savory tilt and this becomes a wonderful sauce to use on any kind of Mexican or Latin food. I love it on nachos or in a burrito, it’s great mixed into rice and beans, perfect on a Pan con Bistek or used to coat empanadas. You’re not limited to that type of cuisine with this sauce, it is versatile, but those are the most natural pairings.

Inexpensive, easy to find, and quite tasty, this is an easy sauce to recommend. If you haven’t had it yet, grab a bottle the next time you see one.

Ingredients: Water, Habanero Pepper, Carrot, Salt, Spices, pH Control Agent (acetic acid), onion powder, Accidulant (citric acid), Stabilizer (xanthan gum), Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate as Preservatives

Heat Level: 3/10. There’s some heat from the habaneros but the carrots do cool them down. Hotter than Franks, Tabasco, etc, but still easily accessible.