Quick Shatta Sauce Recipe (Spicy Middle Eastern Sauce)
This Quick Shatta Sauce delivers bold, spicy Middle Eastern flavor in just 10 minutes—no fermentation needed.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces Fresno or jalapeño peppers, about 5 to 6
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon salt
- juice of ½ lemon, about 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Remove the stems of the peppers. Next, depending on how much spice you prefer, remove all, some, or none of the pith and seeds.
- Transfer the peppers to a food processor along with the garlic, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil.
- Process at high speed until it becomes a slightly runny paste. You may need to stop and scrape the bowl a few times.
- Finish by processing in the vinegar.
- Serve or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes
I highly recommend wearing gloves when making this sauce. Those peppers are seriously hot, and admittedly, I’ve accidentally touched my face after handling them with my bare hands (the burning was not fun).
Control the heat: The heat in this sauce comes from the peppers' membranes and seeds. For an extra-spicy sauce, I’ll leave the membrane and seeds intact; for a medium sauce, I'll remove them.
Soupy consistency: Overprocessing the sauce can make it soupy. To thicken it, blend in another one or two peppers.
Mortar and pestle: I like using my food processor when I want to serve this sauce ASAP, but when I have time, I prefer a mortar and pestle. This old-school method bruises the peppers, creating a more rustic texture and aromatic flavor.
Add herbs and spices: This is a versatile sauce, so go ahead and add fresh herbs (parsley, mint, or cilantro), lemon zest, chopped tomatoes, or toasted whole spices (cumin or caraway seeds) to change up the flavors.
Make-Ahead: When I don’t need the sauce right away, I’ll make it one day in advance and chill it in the fridge overnight to give the flavors time to deepen.
How to Store: Keep the sauce covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 821kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gFat: 85gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 61gSodium: 2335mgPotassium: 588mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2445IUVitamin C: 271mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg