Marinades and Sauces – Page 8

Sriracha Ranch Dressing

Creamy smooth with Rooster sauce kick…

Spicy salad dressings turn your everyday greens into salads with serious attitude. Sriracha ranch dressing is a perfect mix of “smooth and fresh” meets tangy heat. Plus the garlic in the Sriracha sauce (with a pinch more of garlic powder) gives a boost of “bam!” to this dressing. Use it also as a fiery dipping sauce for fresh veggies and chicken wings.

Our version of Sriracha ranch dressing is a semi-short cut. It’s not as simple as taking a bottle of ranch and dashing in Sriracha, but not as complex as making ranch dressing from absolute scratch. We use some creamy ranch dip mix to provide the ranch flavor. Sriracha and cayenne pepper powder provide the spiciness. The cayenne is totally optional and only there as we spicy food fans always like a little extra heat.

Sweet And Spicy French Dressing

by Matt Bray

From greens to taco salad? Yes…

French dressing is sort of a salad dressing secret weapon. It’s of course a delicious greens topper for those that love sweet and tangy dressings. But French dressing (Catalina dressing too) also make a yummy sauce base for taco salads. Yes, it’s true – see a real delicious taco salad recipe right here featuring French dressing.

This spicy version of the salad dressing standard uses both mild paprika and fiery cayenne pepper. Want just a mild simmer? Remove the cayenne pepper completely. Or, of course, feel free to add more if you prefer things even spicier.

Mango Ginger Habanero Sauce

by Matt Bray

Tropically-sweet with teeth…

Mango and habanero pepper are quite the pair. They are perfect foils in the kitchen, with just enough tropical sweetness in common to blend perfectly. There are so many twists on mango habanero sauces, but one of our favorites brings fresh ginger into the equation. The exotic warmth it brings to this sauce really ratchets up the flavor here.

For extreme eaters, this is a good all-purpose sauce. You can use it as a deliciously intense fish taco sauce or as an fiery dipping sauce for fried chicken fingers. It’s also a terrific alternative to salsa as a chip dip (if you like fruitier dips). If you want a variant that’s better with barbecue, see our mango habanero barbecue sauce that also has a twist of ginger.

Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette

by Matt Bray

Perfect for Tex-Mex salads…

Now this is a vinaigrette with a smoky edge. The smoky spiciness of chipotle peppers (and the earthiness of adobo sauce) are the perfect foil to the rich sweetness of honey. Add the tang of red wine vinegar (and a little squeeze of lime too if you prefer), and this is a mouth explosion of flavor that’s perfect for Tex-Mex salads. This is a lot like the dressing you’ll find (and often crave) from your local Chipotle restaurant.

You can spice things up even more with extra chipotle peppers in the sauce – or try an extra teaspoon of adobo sauce in the recipe for an earthier variation of the dressing.

Chipotle Olive Oil

by Matt Bray

A delicious smoky, earthy dipper and marinade…

If you love smoky, earthy flavors, then chipotle olive oil is certain to make you smile. Chipotle peppers (smoked and dried jalapeño peppers) bring both that rustic flavor and just enough spice. Though you can amp things up more by adding more chipotles or (to keep things from getting too smoky, if that’s a thing) a little crushed red pepper during the cooking process.

Chipotle olive oil is delicious as a dipper with crusty bread – it’s a real “rustic on rustic” flavor experience. And we love it as a marinade for steaks, chicken, and seafood. Try it with grilled shrimp – it’s yum.

Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

by Matt Bray

Coconut meet peanut butter…

That’s what makes the magic of spicy Thai peanut sauce – the pairing of deliciously creamy and exotic coconut milk with nutty and earthy peanut butter. Red curry paste and brown sugar add a delicious Thai-spiced sweetness. And then there’s the touch of cayenne pepper to add a simmer underneath it all. It’s not an overwhelming heat – just enough to complement all the other flavors going on here (but add more if you want to kick it up a notch!)

This is an exceptional party sauce for chicken, beef, and shrimp satay. Or try drizzling it over salads for a real exotic flair. It’s delicious, too, simply mixed with noodles, or try it with grilled salmon. The flavors pair very well with the rich flavor of the fish.

Spicy Pomodoro Sauce

by Matt Bray

The fresh taste of tomato and basil with heat!

Sometimes it’s the simple sauces that make the best meals. Case in point: spicy pomodoro sauce. It’s the fresh taste of tomato, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, and garlic (plenty of garlic) and then there’s that kick. A little crushed red pepper turns things up a notch.

Try it with any pasta . You can also add chicken or shrimp to make it into more of a meal. Pomodoro sauce also works very well as a dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, and other fried foods.

Huancaina Sauce

by Matt Bray

A delicious Peruvian cheese sauce…

Peruvian huancaina sauce is a must for the delicious traditional potato dish papas a la huancaina. But this mix of queso fresco, sunny aji amarillo peppers, and onions has more culinary options that that. Use it as a veggie dip, as a side to salsa for Mexican and Peruvian meals, or pour it over cooked veggies as you would any cheese sauce.

Aji amarillo peppers provide a cayenne pepper level heat and a tropical-sweet undertone to the sauce. It’s a unique, summery taste making for one terrific alternative to typical (and often boring) cheese sauces.

Harissa Tomato Sauce

by Matt Bray

Spiced bite…

Harissa tomato sauce is more than spicy ketchup. There’s a real robust spice here – a mix of cumin, coriander, and caraway provide an earthy and fresh zing. We use sambal oelek as a base for the sauce instead of going with freshly ground dried chilies like a a typical homemade harissa. It provides the needed tomato sauce base while packing plenty of heat. You can pick up sambal oelek in most grocery stores or online.

Use harissa tomato sauce as a dipper – it’s delicious with fresh or toasted pita, fried foods (like mozzarella sticks), and French fries. It’s also an interesting option as a pasta sauce for those that enjoy spicier fair.

Spicy Plum Sauce

by Matt Bray

A boldly fruity fiery dipping sauce…

Plum sauce is a delicious side to Chinese food, particularly anything that’s fried. Sweet, sour, and – in our case – fiery, this bold condiment really provides a real punch to fried egg rolls in particular.

Beyond Chinese, try this spicy plum sauce as a chicken tender dipper. The heat comes comes simply from common cayenne pepper powder, so it’s easy to control and adjust. This is an excellent alternative to your typical barbecue dipping sauce.