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Yucatecan Habanero Sauce

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BY The Editors

PUBLISHED July 17, 2025

This sauce pairs perfectly with the taco of your choice.

 

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Yucatecan Habanero Sauce

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Makes 1 1/4 cups 1x

Time 5 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 10 habanero chiles, stemmed
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano, toasted
  • 1/2 cup (4 fl oz/120 ml) bitter orange juice (you can substitute with regular orange juice, but add a little vinegar, ie., 1/4 cup/2 fl oz/60 ml each juice and vinegar)
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week day.

– Excerpted from Sunny Days, Taco Nights © 2025 by Enrique Olvera. Photography © 2025 by Araceli Paz. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.

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