Quick Chile Sauce

By Yotam Ottolenghi

Total Time: 5 minutes
Rating: 4(88)
Notes: Read community notes

This sauce is a fridge staple you can spoon over anything savory, from cooked vegetables or eggs, to salads, grains, meat and fish. It’s spicy but not overtly so. You can bolster the heat by adding dried chile flakes or reduce it by using fewer fresh chiles. (Look for fresh red chiles as they amplify the color of the sauce.) You can add half a teaspoon of sugar, if you like, or make it your own by adding chopped garlic or ginger, and a handful of your favorite herb.

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Ingredients

Yield:1½ cups

9Fresno chiles (about 5 ounces/140 grams) or other medium-heat chiles, preferably red, such as jalapeño or serrano, destemmed and roughly chopped
1¼teaspoons kosher salt
3ounces/85 grams cherry tomatoes (about 12) or 1 small vine tomato, roughly chopped
3tablespoons white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or other light vinegar
¼cup/60 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Place the chiles and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse a few times until chiles are chopped. (You don’t want to go too far and turn them into paste.)
Step 2
Add the tomatoes and vinegar, and pulse again in two or three short bursts, just enough to break down the tomatoes.
Step 3
Transfer to a lidded container and top with the oil. Cover and keep in the fridge up to 1 week.

Ratings

4 out of 5

88 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Melinda Gordon4 years ago

Sunshine for your palate! This sauce brightens up any meal. I have been using it all week: on salads, eggs, and as a chicken marinade.

Amy Christine1 year ago

I have a garden overflowing with Fresnos and cherry tomatoes. I have now made 2 triple batches of this. It's absolutely delicious nd freezable. Terrific on white beans, pasta and vegetables!

Amy Christine1 year ago

Delicious as is, and a great way to use up late summer tomatoes and chiles growing in the garden. I made a triple batch and freeze 2/3 of it for winter use.

Skip1 year ago

Can this be done with a neutral oil?

Mighty Tuckles!2 years ago

This is so great and versatile! It is fantastic on a good baguette with provolone cheese and other yummy things. Also great on pizza, eggs, and just about anything that can hold up to a kick of an Italianish flavor!

Wade2 years ago

I absolutely would NOT pressure can is recipe, or can it in any way. When doing any type of home canning, it’s crucial to keep the fat content to a minimum because the oil/fat can go rancid and make you sick. Only follow approved canning recipes, and never add more fats than the recipe calls for. If you want to make it last, I’d recommend making it and freezing it. Freezing it in ice cube trays will help with convenient portioning and you can pull out a cube or two as needed.

Grace2 years ago

Can I pressure can this to preserve a large batch? Advice welcome!

AK3 years ago

We have made this ever since the recipe was posted, early in the pandemic. And we will keep making it for, well just about forever. Between this chile sauce and Gabrielle Hamilton's anchovy dressing we always, always have our bases covered.

RosebudTX3 years ago

I’m assuming when you use you stir in the olive oil? I used serranos and it’s pretty hot so was thinking I might stir in the suggested amount of sugar after the fact—is it too late or can I stir?

Melinda Gordon4 years ago

Sunshine for your palate! This sauce brightens up any meal. I have been using it all week: on salads, eggs, and as a chicken marinade.

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