14 Chefs Choose Their Favourite Hot Sauces

"Salsa Espinaler is a Spanish hot sauce with a heavy vinegar content. I love it because it’s sweet, sour and flavourful. It complements rather than overpowers the food you’re eating. It’s excellent on eggs and commonly used in huevos rancheros, as well as with oysters and shellfish. This sauce is more about enhancing and accompanying rather than cooking with. It’s delicious, and with so many great versions available on the market, I wouldn’t tend to make my own hot sauce."

Visit TrinityRestaurant.co.uk

"My go-to is Koffiracha’s Chilli Fire. I love the juxtaposition of scotch bonnet chillies (nai miris as we call them in Sri Lanka) and coffee. It’s like coffee sriracha in a bottle, and a bit of a guilty pleasure for me. I use it at home on top of scrambled eggs or in a homemade burger for staff meals at Paradise. Being Sri Lankan, I’m addicted to fiery notes. Tangy, fruity, spicy and full of flavour – that’s the perfect combination. At Paradise, we made a fermented kochchi chilli hot sauce during lockdown with burnt pineapple, palm treacle for sweetness and toasted spices. It’s making me hungry just thinking about it again…"

Visit ParadiseSoho.com

"I love the original Cholula Hot Sauce. It’s a hot, tangy blend of some of my favourite peppers, arbol and piquin. I use it on anything and everything. It adds a great kick to proteins, starches and vegetables – from raw clams to shrimp burgers, grilled chicken breast, rice, eggs, and more.”

Visit The-Emory.co.uk & Jean-Georges.com

"My dad used to eat a lot of Encona Hot Pepper Sauce, so I was introduced to it early on. I've had it in the cupboard at home ever since. At uni, it used to go on everything. Coming home late from kitchen shifts, I’d crack open a tin of tuna, douse it in Encona, and eat that. These days, I use it for some Parsi dinners, adding dashes of it to my homemade tamarind ketchup to give it a vinegary kick. It pairs really well with all the fried snacks in the Parsi repertoire."

Visit StJohnRestaurant.com

"I put hot sauce on everything whenever I can. Oyama Yuzu Kosho Hot Sauce Green is my all-time favourite. I love that it’s smoky, deep, tangy and fiery all at once. It’s made from whole underripe yuzu fermented with rice koji and spicy green Japanese chillies. At Jöro, we use it in some dishes, including a tomato dashi that we serve with Cornish mackerel, gordal olives and toasted rice – it adds a kick that’s similar to a bloody mary."

Visit JoroRestaurant.co.uk

"I have two favourites that I use for different things. Green Tabasco has a tasty jalapeño flavour that isn't too spicy, making it versatile for cocktails, dishes, and even desserts. Frank’s RedHot Sauce is a classic that reminds me of American buffalo wings and is easy to find anywhere. I love Green Tabasco on fried eggs and toast, or in salad dressings, while Frank’s is great on chicken wings, rice dishes and pasta dishes (especially after service). And it spices up leftovers wonderfully.”

Visit ScullyRestaurant.com

"At the moment, I’m really into fermented hot honey – it’s so delicious. We use it in one of our dishes at Benares, and we also make it in-house. We drizzle a generous amount on crispy courgette and pok choi in the restaurant. I also love using it on chicken tenders, crispy gyozas, pizzas and pork ribs. The recipe is simple: take 1 tablespoon of chilli flakes, 5 chopped jalapeños (with seeds), 5 chopped habaneros, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and 1 sliced banana shallot. Place it all in a jar and cover with 500ml of raw local honey. Add a tablespoon of filtered water, shake, and flip the jar every two days to keep the chillies submerged. Let it ferment for a month for maximum flavour. The honey will become a bit thinner, but that’s normal. Store it in a cupboard and enjoy."

Visit BenaresRestaurant.com

"I prefer a smooth, rounded heat that's long-lasting, with a touch of smoke, so I love Sauce Shop Buffalo Hot Sauce. It tastes great and has a smoother, creamier mouthfeel. At home I enjoy it on avocados with scrambled eggs on toast for brunch, or with BBQ chicken thighs topped with lime and coriander.” 

Visit DorchesterCollection.com 

"I really rate British Sriracha made by the team at Fallow. I appreciate the added depth and dimension that the fermentation of chillies brings to the sauce. I enjoy it with eggs at breakfast, and it pairs really well with grilled fish and chicken. I like a balanced heat – not just smoky, tangy or fiery, but with layers of flavour that stand out. I’ve made my own hot sauces and spicy condiments all my life. One of my favourites is a hot garlic chilli sauce or chutney made with dried chillies, lots of sautéed garlic, tomato paste and vinegar."

Visit TheCinnamonCollection.com

"My favourites are Valentina Black Label and Yucateco Habanero Sauce. They’re versatile and remind me of my home in Mexico, so I have them with every meal – with Mexican breakfasts, eggs, snacks, fruits and pizza. I also use a dry chilli sauce called huichol from Nayarit for seasoning fish on a wood grill. I believe that if a salsa isn’t spicy or hot, it’s not really a salsa – I prefer my salsas to add that extra flavour and stand out as the star of the dish. At home, we always make our own hot sauces to adjust the spice levels, and in the restaurants, we have a variety of fresh, homemade sauces. Our pasilla salsa for the Tinga taco is our spiciest. I love experimenting with different chillies and blends, always drawing inspiration from Guadalajara, where salsa is a crucial element of any meal."

Visit NineLivesBar.com

"My go-to is Aunt May's Bajan Pepper Sauce. It’s sweet, spicy and thick, making it perfect for dipping if you can handle the heat. It’s incredibly moreish, whether enjoyed on its own or alongside a dollop of mayo – which for me is the ultimate sauce combination. While crisps are an obvious choice, it pairs well with a cheese toastie. The acidity cuts through the fat in a way other hot sauces can’t. I love its fruity profile with a lot of heat. I’ve always been a fan of scotch bonnet sauces for their superior flavour and tang. I also make my own hot sauce using reduced chillies from the supermarket, fermented with salt for a couple of weeks, then blended with garlic and vinegar. There’s always a jar of it on my kitchen shelf."

Visit BlueMountain.School

"I love lots of different hot sauces, like Frank's RedHot Fire-Roasted Jalapeño Craft Hot Sauce – it’s great with roast chicken or grilled fish. I also like its Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce, which I mix 50:50 with melted butter and add to wings or prawns before cooking. I really enjoy smoky flavours, especially chipotle. I buy Chipotle in Adobo from Cool Chile and make it into an emulsion (mayonnaise) that we use at our restaurant on ceviche to give it richness and smokiness. It’s also great with roast or BBQ chicken or fish at home. The recipe is simple: take 60g of egg yolks and slowly pour in 600g of sunflower oil while whisking. Once it thickens, add 100g of the chipotle, whisk again, and keep adding the oil slowly. Finally, mix in the rest of the chipotle.”

Visit RockliffeHall.com

"My favourite hot sauce has to be Calabrian chilli oil. It’s a versatile and delicious condiment made of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and Calabrian chillies. It keeps for six months or more, and I love adding it to pasta, pizza, grilled meats, vegetables and sandwiches. It’s like sriracha, but tamed a little by its olive oil base. Mix it with some mayonnaise and you’ve got a great dip for nibbles or a bowl of crisps. As for heat, I prefer a tangy kick. Heat on its own can be too blunt, so the best hot sauces have layers of compatible, complementary flavours."

Visit TheUnrulyPig.co.uk

"Tabasco is my favourite hot sauce, and for good reason. It’s the iconic grandfather of hot sauces, with a rich history. I’m fascinated by its unique process of aging Tabasco chilli peppers in used whiskey barrels for up to three years. It’s incredible how they extract so much flavour from just three basic ingredients: vinegar, peppers and salt. I use Tabasco not just to add heat, but as a flavour powerhouse that elevates a dish and makes all the other ingredients shine. I reach for it at least once a day, alongside salt and pepper. I also love the tangy kick of Louisiana-style pepper sauces like Tabasco, Frank’s RedHot, Texas Pete and Crystal, all of which hit the mark with their straightforward, flavourful heat. 

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