Lemon Hot Sauces

What a lemon hot sauce actually tastes like

Lemon is the sharper, cleaner citrus. Where lime leans tropical and pairs with cilantro and cumin, lemon goes in a more European and Middle Eastern direction (garlic, ginger, black pepper, mustard, herbs), and it's the citrus to reach for with fish, chicken and anything fried.

What's in the bottle

Habanero is in half of these sauces, jalapeño in a quarter and Carolina reaper in about one in six. Ginger appears in nearly a third (lemon and ginger is a pairing that survives a lot of heat), and mustard in around one in five.

How hot these get

The biggest group is medium, at about four in ten, with a quarter hot and the remainder split between mild and extra hot. Lemon's acidity makes a sauce taste brighter and slightly hotter than the same recipe would without it.

How to use it

Chicken first, then eggs, tacos, wings, sandwiches and fish. A lemon sauce is the one to add to a vinaigrette, a bowl of soup, hummus, or anything grilled where you'd already be reaching for a wedge of lemon. It also cuts through fried food better than a sweeter sauce.

Buying your first one

For fish and seafood, pick a mild or medium lemon sauce with garlic and herbs. For wings and sandwiches, one with ginger or mustard in it has more backbone. If you want the same brightness with a tropical accent instead, go to the lime collection.