This Puerto Rican hot sauce recipe, called Pique, is a national staple, with a different version for every household. Try my spicy version of the recipe.
Pique Recipe (Puerto Rican Hot Sauce)
Pique is an interesting hot sauce. You'll find it in Puerto Rico - it's a national staple there, with a different version practically for every household.
It is one of those hot sauce recipes that defies any specific recipe because it can vary quite a bit. Many of the ingredients come down to personal preference of the household serving it up.
It is not a blended hot sauce.
What is Pique?
At its most basic, Pique is a seasoned vinegar with a variety of flavoring ingredients. Those ingredients, in particular, chili peppers, infuse the vinegar with heat and flavor, which you can use to dash over anything you desire.
I've seen versions with or without lime juice, splashes of rum, culantro leaves, sugar, onion, pineapple chunks or other fruit, peppercorns. So many possible ingredients.
The traditional chili pepper used is the Aji Caballero. You basically chop up the larger ingredients, drop them all into a container, and cover it with your vinegar and other liquids, then let it sit anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks.
The vinegar solution will infuse and you're good to go. Store it in the fridge if you'd like.
My particular version here incorporates a variety of 7-Pots, Aji Pineapples, and some Moranga Reds, which are a hybrid grown in my garden this year.
I have some excellent heat from the 7-Pots and Morangas, and some nice sweet flavor from the ajis. I like this particular version as it helps to preserve my peppers.
We had such a huge harvest this year - YES! YES! - that preserving them is the best way to go. And isn't it nice to have a good hot sauce on hand for pretty much anything?
Enjoy, and feel free to mix up the recipe with fun new ingredients!
How Do You Serve Puerto Rican Pique?
Pique hot sauce is meant to be splashed over pretty much any of the foods you are serving. Drizzle some over grilled meats or into soups or stews.
Splash a little onto your sandwich meat, or over fresh or cooked vegetables, basically anywhere you'd like a bit of zing.
Frequently Asked Hot Sauce Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get on other sauces:
How long will this sauce keep?
It should keep a few months easily in the fridge, or even longer. It's all about the acidity.
To be technical, target level ph for shelf stable foods is below 4.6 ph, but should probably be lower for home cooks, around 4.0 or so, to account for errors. If you're concerned, add more vinegar to lower the ph. Sauces made with fermented chili peppers will last even longer.
Where'd you get that sauce bottle?
I find them locally sometimes, but I also order through Amazon. Here is a link to some bottles I like (affiliate link, my friends!): Swing Top Glass Bottles, 8.5 Ounce - Set of 4
. If you like the smaller bottles that most hot sauce makers use, here's another link: Hot Sauce Bottles, 5 Oz - 24 Pack
.
Can I process this hot sauce for longer storage?
Absolutely. Just be sure to use proper canning/jarring safety procedures.
What should I do with hot sauce?
Aside from drizzling it over anything you please, here's a post I did about How to Cook with Hot Sauce. As if you need even MORE reasons to eat hot sauce. LOL. I hope you find it helpful!
Check out more Hot Sauce Recipes or learn more about How to Make Hot Sauce.
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Pique Recipe (Puerto Rican Hot Sauce)
Ingredients
- 12 small chili peppers/About 4 ounces – I used a variety of 7-Pots Ajis Pineapples, and Muranga Reds
- 2 cloves garlic slightly crushed
- 10 black peppercorns
- 4 cilantro stems
- Squeeze of lime juice
- White vinegar to fill the jar about a half cup or so
Instructions
- Remove the pepper stem. Slice the peppers in half or into quarters, small enough to fit into the jar or container you are using.
- Stuff the peppers into an 8-ounce bottle or jar.
- Add cloves, peppercorns, cilantro stems and lime juice.
- Fill the container the rest of the way up with vinegar, leaving a bit of head space.
- Cap and give it a good shake.
- Let it sit out anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks to allow the heat and flavor to develop. Refill as needed with more vinegar and peppers.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Pinky and Slim says
Winner, Winner, Hot-Sauce-Infused Dinner! Just made this and tasted it even though we know it needs to sit. YASS! We've been to Puerto Rico several times and always loved this stuff. We'd bring back as much as the frugal airline baggage weight rules would allow. Thrilled to have found a dupe we can recreated way north of the border in Canada. The only potential "challenge" is that we used some SUPER hot peppers we grew and it *might* get a little feisty in a couple of weeks. LOL! So if it's too hot, can we add more vinegar to dilute? Thanks again for another stellar recipe!
Mike H. says
Thanks! Yes, you can definitely add more vinegar to tone it down. Just be careful not to add too much at once, as it can alter the overall flavor.
Ellen says
Noted! Thank you! We plan to make a few more batches using green and red hot peppers before the holiday season to gift to our fellow hothead friends! 🙂
Mike H. says
Sounds like a great plan - have fun! =)
Pat says
Was looking for a quick way to make hot sauce before I had to go back to school. I’m a bus driver. Your Hawaiian Chili pepper water and Pique caught my eye. Went with Pique-it was faster. Wow!! My bus buddies
give it a big thumbs up. Now I have to make the Hawaiian Chili pepper water.
I have both of your books and your Chiles Rellenos French Toast has become an every holiday breakfast tradition.
My family, friends and I appreciate your recipes and all things chili pepper that you share.
Mike Hultquist says
Wow, this is awesome to hear, Pat! I really appreciate it, and am very happy you're enjoying the recipes and my books!
Mia says
Can you use Water and oil just a hint of vinegar instead.
Mike Hultquist says
Mia, you can but it likely won't last as long. Vinegar is a strong preservative. It will likely only last a week or so that way, but you can keep it in the fridge.
Lee D Duke says
My asshole started screaming as I began making a batch.
Mike Hultquist says
That MAY signal an issue, Lee.
Jacinta Harding says
How long does it take for the flavor to really bloom? I made mine 10 days ago and it’s still quite vinegary-tasting ☹️
Mike Hultquist says
Jacinta, it is meant to be a spicy vinegar. You should have plenty of flavor infusion by now. It will still taste like vinegar, though, as the recipe is literally ingredients floating in vinegar. If you'd like more flavor, you can add in other peppers and let them infuse.
Elaine says
This may be silly, but is there a risk of the bottle exploding? I haven’t done this before and somebody told me the fermentation may make the bottle break. I used glass bottles with plastic lids.
Mike Hultquist says
Elaine, I've never had a problem with this. You can keep it in the refrigerator, which would slow any fermentation, or open it now and again to "burp" it if any pressure builds up.
Yann says
Hi Mike,
First, thank you so much all the way from France for making such a wonderful site on Chilis! Here, they are not that popular in comparison to North America and that's a shame!
I just jave a quick question, you mention cloves in your recipe, but not in the ingredients, how many would you put in that Pique please?
Thank you again!
Mike H. says
Bonjour, Yann! Merci beaucoup. Go for 3 garlic cloves garlic, chopped. Please come back to let me know how you like your Pique. 😉
Shane says
Man, what a great basis for a simple, brilliant sauce.
Used the fresh I had on hand--jalapeno, Fresno, serrano, bird's eye--plus garlic, salt, white + rice vinegar, etc.
As usual, wonderful.
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Thanks, Shane!
Bella says
Do you need to boil the bottles you put the pique in or will washing with soap and hot water suffice?
Mike Hultquist says
You can just wash them with very hot water.