- Mexican
- Sauce
- Spicy
San Jose Orange Sauce
This San Jose-style orange sauce is inspired by the famous orange sauce served at La Victoria Taqueria in San Jose, California. It blends roasted tomato, onion, and garlic with fermented jalapeños, dried árbol chiles, guajillo chiles, salty jalapeño brine, and neutral oil into a smooth, creamy, fiery orange sauce. The fermented jalapeños give it a tangy depth that makes the sauce taste fuller and more addictive after an overnight rest in the fridge.
- Prep
- 10 d
- Cook
- 1 d
- Total
- 1 wk 4 d
- Servings
- 36
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Yield
- 2 cup
Instructions
Ferment the Jalapeños
Place the halved jalapeños into a clean Ball jar or other fermentation-safe jar. Mix the water and kosher salt to make a 2.5% brine, then pour enough brine over the jalapeños to fully cover them. Use a fermentation weight, spring, or other fermentation insert to keep the jalapeños submerged. Cover with a fermentation lid and ferment at room temperature for 10 days.
Reserve the Jalapeños and Brine
After 10 days, remove 2 large fermented jalapeños for the sauce. Reserve ½ cup of the fermentation brine. Keep any extra fermented jalapeños refrigerated for another use.
Soak the Dried Chiles
Place the dried árbol chiles and guajillo chiles in a small bowl. Warm the reserved ½ cup fermentation brine and pour it over the chiles. Let them soak while you roast the vegetables. If the chiles are not fully submerged, press them down with a spoon or small plate. Add only a splash of hot water if needed for coverage.
Roast the Tomato, Onion, and Garlic
Place the Roma tomatoes, onion rounds, and garlic cloves on a sheet pan. Broil on the highest oven rack for about 10 minutes, flipping midway through, until the vegetables are deeply roasted and lightly charred in spots. Check the garlic early and remove it if it starts to burn. The onion and tomato can take more color.
Cool the Roasted Ingredients
Let the roasted tomato, onion, and garlic cool slightly before blending.
Blend the Sauce
Add the soaked dried chiles, soaking brine, fermented jalapeños, roasted tomatoes, roasted onion, roasted garlic, kosher salt, and vegetable oil to a blender. Blend on high until completely smooth, creamy, and bright orange. For the smoothest sauce, blend longer than you think you need to so the oil fully emulsifies into the sauce.
Strain the Sauce
Pour the blended sauce through a mesh strainer to remove chile skins, seeds, and any remaining solids. Press with a spoon or spatula to extract as much sauce as possible.
Bottle and Rest
Transfer the strained sauce into clean squeeze bottles or airtight containers. Refrigerate overnight before eating so the flavors can settle and the sauce can thicken slightly.
Store
Always store the sauce in the refrigerator. It should keep for at least 1 month refrigerated.
Recipe by
Russell Toris
@russell-toris