A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Rob Burns a local entrepreneur with a very unique startup, Scorpion Bay Hot Sauces. Having just read Cameron’s raving hot sauce review a week before, I was intrigued when Rob introduced himself and offered to let me sample his hot sauces.
The first thing I noticed when I held the bottles of hot sauce in my hand was the packaging. The logo draws you in, and the bottles have a wide mouth. Rob says he had to redesign the bottle to facilitate pouring rather than change his recipe and thin his sauces.
Described as your taco shop like hot sauce it tastes like something my dad would make. You will smell the De Arbol chili peppers as soon as you open the bottle, and will immediately realize it is thicker than your average hot sauce. If you like spicy sauces, this one is for you. My wife however saw the green bottle and went straight for it.
My wife absolutely loved it. Since I like spicier sauces, I stuck with the red but I think the Hotacado Avocado Hot Sauce is better than any avocado style salsa I ever tasted, probably because the recipe includes jalapeños. Of the three bottles this was by far the biggest hit amongst my family. My mother went as far as saying she only knows one person who can make that style salsa.
With a dash of chocolate this hot sauce is a mole lover’s dream, I think it works great with any chicken based Mexican food.
Scorpion Bay Hot Sauces taste like authentic Mexican home cooked salsas and they can double as marinades. So how did a gringo get into the hot sauce business?
I started making the sauces at home, mostly for friends and my own consumption, but the demand for the sauces just grew out of proportion, says master hot sauce maker Rob Burns.
The picturesque artwork on the logo / label was designed by Wade Koniakowsky, a San Diego artist specializing in surf and landscape paintings.
Scorpion Bay Hot Sauces can be purchased via gourmet food shops across the nation and on the company website.
** WIN A Free Set of Scorpion Bay Hot Sauces. The first two people to answer the following question will win. Where is Scorpion Bay located and what is it most famous for? Leave your answer in the comments, they will only be published after we receive the first two correct answers. Almost forget, if you win please come back and let us know what you think of these hot sauces.
Update
Rob and Rosemary answered correctly and will receive the free sets of hot sauce.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Scorpion Bay a legendary surf spot located in San Juanico, Baja Sur, Mexico(the west coast of baja). It is known for having the second longest surfing waves in the world — sometimes up to a mile long.
So I don’t know if I’m eligible, but that salsa sounds awesome so I’ll give it a shot…
Scorpion Bay is in Mexico, on the west coast of Baja, down south, about the distance from San Diego to San Francisco. It’s mostly just a fishing village for locals but is world reknowned for the surf.
I think there was a surf company named after it…Scorpio Surf.
Thanks for participating, I’ll get in touch with you via email Rob and Rosemary to get you those free bottles of tasty hot sauce.
I never win *anything*… and I love hot sauce! So this was very cool for me. Here are my impressions.
De Arbol
Very subtle, good for pouring over a burrito when you don’t want to overpower the taste. Like the description says, very similar to what I get at my favorite taco shop (Juanita’s!). I’ll be putting this bottle to good use.
Hotvocado
I was surprised that this was by far my favorite. I had expected to be least excited about this one. Kind of like a thick verde sauce with a great (but not too crazy) kick to it. Love this stuff. Wow!
Chocopotle
Described as having a hint of chocolate, but I didn’t detect it. I think this would be better if it was at least a little more chocolatey. Starts off very BBQ-ish, and has a great smokey chipolte finish. Very good — I look forward to using it in place of a straight BBQ sauce.
Overall I’m quite impressed with Scorpion Bay’s offerings. The thick consistency is awesome, and their flavors are distinct without being extreme.