ChiBomba – Salsa 100% Chile Habanero Extra Picante
Bitter: ✰✰✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sour: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sweet: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Umami: ⭐✰✰✰✰
Heat: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Sweet, fruity, savory
Texture: Medium and extremely smooth, ketchup-like
Ingredients: Organic Carrots, Organic Onions, Organic Habanero Peppers, Organic Distilled Vinegar, Organic Garlic, Organic Tangerine Juice Concentrate, Salt, Organic Dates, Organic Raisins, Organic Lime Juice Concentrate.
Recommended: Yes
This is a bit of a mystery sauce for me. I picked it up at a shop in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico along with the green and yellow versions by the same maker. The strange thing about this sauce is that it appears to have zero online presence, not even Google Lens can bring anything up from a photo of the bottle.
The ingredients are simple with the only iffy one being the Red Dye #40. The rest is just red habaneros, vinegar, spices, and guar gum. Guar gum isn’t seen as often in hot sauces as the common xanthan gum, but guar gum is an all natural gum derived from guar beans. The texture is medium-thick and very chunky with lots of pepper bits and this has a great aroma of fresh peppers and a little vinegar.
ChiBomba has a bright fruity habanero flavor right up front. There’s that quick bite of heat that habaneros are known for and a great tang from the vinegar as well. I’m not sure which spices are used but they’re subtle, adding a bit of a cooling effect after that rush of heat, so perhaps cilantro or culantro. This sauce doesn’t have a complex flavor profile but the one it does have – fresh, vibrant, fruity, vegetal, and tangy is perfect for plenty of applications.
Habanero sauces are often the most flexible out there in my experience. With it being a Mexican sauce of course I went to Mexican food first, and this is great on nachos, fajitas, tacos, and more. I also love this sauce with eggs – the bright fruity vegetal flavor is a great compliment to breakfast foods. It’s also a solid way to top an open face melt and a great sauce to add some tang and zest to a pulled pork sandwich.
I’m happy to recommend ChiBomba if you can actually find it anywhere. If you find yourself in a shop in Mexico that sells it do yourself a favor and pick it up. The fresh flavor and nice chunky habanero-heavy texture make this one a standout amongst the Mexican market hot sauces I’ve tried thus far.
