Hatch Green Chile Pepper Sauce, How to Fire Roast Chiles

If you somehow survived summer without roasting a batch of Hatch green chile peppers, congratulations, you've shown remarkable restraint (or poor judgment). This easy Hatch green chile pepper sauce recipe is smoky, spicy, and the only excuse you'll ever need to put Hatch chiles on literally everything. Use it on, in, with everything from grain bowls to roast chicken to grilled salmon. Shall we?

Explore More

• What are Hatch Chile Peppers?
• What Ingredients You Need for Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce
• Where to Buy Hatch Peppers
• What Can I Use to Substitute for Hatch Peppers?
• How to Make Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce
• How to "Fire Roast" Hatch Chile Peppers at Home
• How to Store Hatch Peppers Fresh, Roasted, and Sauce
• Best Ways to Use Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce
• Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce

What are Hatch Chile Peppers?

Hatch chile peppers are a variety of New Mexico chile grown exclusively in the Hatch Valley of southern New Mexico, where the unique combination of climate, soil, and altitude gives them their distinct smoky, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor. They can range in spiciness from mild to hot.

Hatch chiles are typically harvested in late summer and early fall. This narrow availability, along with their specific growing region make Hatch chile peppers so special, they've earned cult-status.

What Peppers are Similar to Hatch Green Chile Peppers?

Hatch are often compared to Anaheim peppers, which are also derived from New Mexico chiles. They are closely related, but not genetically the exact same variety. However, the Hatch variety tends to be spicier, more complex in flavor, and have a thicker flesh. Poblano peppers are also similar, but like Anaheims, are milder than Hatch.

How Spicy Are Hatch Green Chile Peppers?

Hatch chiles can range anywhere from very mild to quite spicy, or about 1,000-8,000 Scoville Heat Units. A mild 1,000 SHU Hatch is about the same spiciness as Anaheim. On the spiciest end, a hot Hatch is about the same as a jalapeño pepper, which ranges from 2,500 to 8,000.

What Ingredients You Need for Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce

Hatch Green Chile Pepper Sauce is a template of 8-10 ingredients that you can tweak to fit your personal taste preferences. The following is a list of ingredients for my favorite version after multiple iterations over many years, sometimes several variations in the same meal as a test.

Fresh/refrigerator ingredients you will need for Hatch Green Chile Pepper Sauce:

• Hatch green chiles, of course! 2
• cilantro, 1 cup leaves from 1 bunch
• garlic, 3-5 cloves
• green onion, 1 stalk
• lime, juice and zest from 1
• mayo, ¼ cup
• Cotija, queso fresco, feta, parmesan, or other strong salty cheese, ¼ cup

Dry/pantry ingredients:

• olive oil, ¼ cup or half an avocado
• salt, 1 teaspoon
• ice cold water, ¼ cup

Where to Buy Hatch Peppers

Most grocery stores will carry Hatch green chile peppers during the season. If you're lucky, they'll even categorize and label them as Mild, Medium, and Hot. You can also buy them online from produce distributors or specialty food companies..

What Can I Use to Substitute for Hatch Peppers?

Anaheim or Poblano Peppers. If you can't find Hatch chile peppers, or they're out of their short season, use Anaheim and Poblano peppers which have a similar flavor to mild Hatch peppers.

Jalapeño. Use jalapeño peppers for a spicy heat level.

Additional Ingredients Notes and Substitutions for Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce

Because this recipe is more of a template, it is perfect for substitutions. Here are some additional tips and suggested substitutions

Cilantro. If you really love the taste of cilantro, you can simply chop the leaves and tender stems from the bunch of cilantro instead of painstakingly plucking the leaves by hand. The strongest cilantro flavor comes from the stems, so I pull them all off because I am hyper-sensitive to it.

Garlic. The first time I made this sauce, I used ONE clove or garlic and that was the probably the stupidest cooking mistake I've ever made in my life. Max out the amount of garlic.

Green Onions. Use the entire stalk minus the root. No point in wasting the white or green parts.

Lime Zest and Juice. Zest the lime on a microplane first, then roll the whole fruit on the counter top to loosen the juice, then squeeze out the juice for maximum extraction. You can also use a small lemon, which actually gives the sauce the acid it needs without as much citrus essence.

Olive Oil, Mayo, or Avocado. This is the plant-based mayonnaise I like, made with avocado oil. It has a slightly strong vinegar fragrance than others, but has the best texture.

Cotija or Other Salty Cheese. This is the brand of Cotija cheese I buy at Whole Foods. You can also use feta cheese or parmesan.

How to Make Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce

Technically you can "make" Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce in about five minutes, or as long as it takes to blend the ingredients together into a smooth sauce. The most time consuming step of the whole process is waiting for the Hatch chile peppers to steam off their skins after you fire roast them.

Throw all of the ingredients into either a blender or food processor and let 'er rip. For the smoothest sauce, use a high power blender.

The order in which you put the ingredients doesn't matter to the taste of the final sauce. However, putting the liquid ingredients in the bottom of the blender first will make the blending easier/faster.

How to "Fire Roast" Hatch Chile Peppers at Home

During Hatch pepper season, some stores and markets will have special events to fire-roast peppers on the spot for customers. But you can easily get a similar fire-roasted effect at home, though there won't be the same smokiness in the flavor.

How to Store Hatch Peppers Fresh, Roasted, and Sauce

Store Hatch Green Chile Pepper Sauce in a glass jar or other sealed container for up to 5 days. You can freeze Hatch Green Chile Pepper Sauce for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Store Roasted Hatch Chile Peppers in air-tight plastic zipper bags in the freezer for up to 6 months. The best way to make the peppers easier to thaw when you need a few at a time is to lay them in a single layer in a gallon-size plastic ziploc bag and freeze flat. Break off a few of them from the frozen block and that in the refrigerator overnight.

Store Fresh Hatch Peppers in an unsealed plastic bag in the refrigerator for 5 days, Do not freeze fresh Hatch peppers.

Tools and Equipment

As I have said so many times before, you can absolutely make this Hatch Green Chile Pepper Sauce with nothing but a sharp knife on a sturdy cutting and a lot of time. However, to make it a truly smooth sauce, you will want to spin it in either a food processor, or even better, a high power blender. These are the tools I have in my kitchen that I use for this recipe:

High Power Blender. This is the one I have. The smoothie cup attachment (instead of the full size pitcher) is just the right size for this recipe.

Food Processor. This is the small, compact food processor I have had for 800 years. It still works well. The small size is just the perfect size for sauces like this.

Salad Spinner I can't live without this to really dry off the herbs.

Cutting Board. My favorite every day cutting board.

Garlic Press. You only need the press if you're doing this by hand. Otherwise, you'll just toss whole smashed cloves into the blender or food processor. As a side note, the most ridiculously expensive garlic press I've ever seen better come with a happy ending.

Best Ways to Use Hatch Chile Pepper Sauce

This sauce is so good and versatile, you should probably make a double batch because you can use it anywhere you'd like to add a bright, herbal, and very spicy taste element. Here are the best ideas:

• serve alongside a grilled or roast chicken
• stir into hot cooked rice or quinoa as the base for a spicy grain bowl
• toss with roasted cauliflower or broccoli florets
• shake together with a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar and water to make a VERY spicy salad dressing
• drizzle over Crispy Smashed Potatoes
• dip regular or Sweet Potato Fries in it!

Other Green Herb Sauces and Condiments

Green sauces with a base of leafy green herbs make an appearance in some format in so many cultural cuisines. Here are a few recipes I love:

• Aji Verde, Peruvian green sauce made with cilantro and jalapeños
• Italian Salsa Verde, made with a base of parsley
• Chimichurri, similar to Salsa Verde with almost all parsley, and with oregano and red pepper flakes
• Green Goddess Dressing/Dip
• Ginger Scallion Sauce, with just scallions, ginger, and searing hot oil
• Kale Pesto of any and every kind
• Green Goddess Pesto, which is just a non-creamy version of the original Green Goddess
• Chermoula
• Green Harissa
• Zhoug

31 Things to Eat and Drink Before Summer Fades

Let's eat and drink 31 summery things before summer fades...

1. watermelon
2. cherries
3. black-, blue, rasp-, and strawberries
4. plums
5. peaches and nectarines
6. corn
7. okra
8. tomatoes
9. zucchini
10. eggplant
11. green goddess dressing
12. fresh garden herb pesto
13. gazpacho
14. soupe au pistou
15. naeng-myun and its spicy sister, bibim naeng myun
16. cold soba
17. summer rolls
18. backyard BBQ ribs
19. paht bing soo (shaved ice or sno-cones)
20. funnel cake + deep fried fair foods
21. ice cream made in two coffee cans
22. campfire s'mores (bacon optional)
23. clambake
24. lobster, especially in a Cobb salad
25. crab boil
26. grilled salmon
27. fish tacos
28. rosé wine
29. wine spritzer
30. home cold brew iced coffee
31. lemonade from a stand

an end note:

I actually intended to make a "99" list, but in the end, only got as far as 78. Even then, I was reaching for foods and drinks that were quintessentially summer. Fresh fava beans? Green garbanzo beans? Strawberries even? I see those more as "Spring" things that just extend past their introductory season. And here in southern California, you could argue almost any food into our endless summer.

Strange, that even with a season that lasts until next February, we still feel the urgency of "the end."

I edited the original list down to a number that had more of a ring to it than an awkward "78 Things to Eat and Drink..." There are 31 days in August so it works, but this in no way means I accept that summer is over once the earlier of either September or Labor Day hits.

Editing 78 things down to less than half is a wordy bitch's worst nightmare, but I got there. These are a few of the "things" that didn't make the cut, but they are in every way still summer to me (even if I don't plan to actually eat a ballpark hot dog). If I left any off, please fill me in on the comments.

avocado. backyard burger. ballpark hot dogs. campari and soda. ceviche. fava beans. figs. green garbanzo beans. grilled shrimp. ice cream from an old school truck. Korean melon ice bars. margaritas. mojitos. mulberries. picnic potato salad. popsicles. sangria. shelling beans. zucchini blossoms.