Taco Tuesday, Taco Wednesday, Taco Saturday, whatever night of the week you break out your favorite recipe it always helps to bring something new to the table. From crunchy pork rinds to fiery small-batch salsa, here are nine toppings we dig for Taco time.
Salsa Macha // Xilli // New York, NY
Slowly fried chipotles? Yes please. Toasted peanuts in a smoky “xilli” (chili) oil? Oh my. This is a big, bold, burrito upgrading salsa made by hand with an authentic, traditional recipe.
Roasted Chili Salsa // Kitchen Garden Farm // Sunderland, MA
Fire-roasted for optimum smoky goodess, this roasted chili salsa is handcrafted from organic tomatoes, onions and chilies grown on the family farm.
Sweet Potato Breakfast Tacos Recipe Here
Habanero Sauce // Yellowbird // Austin, TX
Some hot sauces are pure white heat, nothing but burn. Save those scoville-spiked scorchers for bar bets and paint stripping. This is a salsa worth savoring. Instead of high-octane peppers like the infamous ghost chile, this Austin-made hot sauce uses the humbler habanero, amping up its bright fruity undertones with an additional spritz of tangerine and lime juice — and its color with a blend of carrots. It’s perfect on tacos, but mellow enough for a michelada.
Red Miso Vinegar // Ramp Up // New York
With tacos, acidity goes a long way. Sure, you can go lime but if you want to mix taco night up, try a hit of this umami-rich vinegar handmade in NYC. We love it on fish tacos or if you go vegetarian, ramp up some roasted mushrooms with cotija cheese.
Turkey Meatball Tostadas With Tomatillo Salsa Recipe Here
Tommy Tomatillo Salsa // Karma Sauce Company // Rochester, NY
Rochester. Home of the Garbage Plate and one of the preeminent sauce and salsa makers in the country. Not just our words, Karma Sauce Co. took home a staggering 24 awards from Zestfest (think Oscars for Hot Sauce). This seasonal salsa will wake up a dish of scrambled eggs, take your hot dog to new heights or make shrimp tacos sing. Tommy Tomatillo is made with 100% estate-grown heirloom chiles, tomatillos and tomatoes. Need more Karma? don’t sleep on their Funken Hot, Chipotle Mustard or Cherry Bomb Sauce.
Maker Take:
“Karma Sauce’s founder and sauce expert Gene Olczak has expertly designed each recipe so that every bottle of Karma Sauce is unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. So if you’re tired of forgettable meals and want to return to meals that matter, you’re one step closer to finding the secret sauce that gets you there.”
We don’t squawk “Award Winning” for nothing, here is some hardware for Tommy Tomatillo Salsa:
- 2016 Fiery Food Challenge Winner — Salsa: Medium
- 2016 Fiery Food Challenge Winner — Best New Product
- 2018 Fiery Food Challenge Winner — Salsa: Verde/Tomatillo
- 2019 Scovie Winner — Salsa: Verde
- 2020 Fiery Food Challenge Winner — Salsa: Verde/Tomatillo
Recipe
Turkey Meatball Tostadas With Tomatillo Salsa Recipe Here
Cajun “Surf & Turf” Taco Recipe Here
Carrot Chile Sauce // Tango // Brooklyn, NY
Carrots get no love. As the can of spinach needs its Popeye, carrots get their Bugs, animated incentive for kids to munch. (Let no one mention the baby carrot, those shorn and cutesy lap dogs of the veggie world.) But picky eaters don’t know what they’re missing. With a little spice, the tuber turns transcendent — what’s up doc is the heat level. We love those pickled escabeche cups tossed on taco plates, and most trucks worth their masa have ’em. We wish they had this sauce too. Here, carrots give more than crunch and color, but become a perfect vehicle for the extra spice, adding a nice, creamy body to an already perfect hot sauce. Drizzle it on tacos, grilled shrimp, or seared chicken, and eat your vegetables.
Pork Clouds // Bacon’s Heir // Atlanta, GA
As the humble taco proudly shows, the best bites can grow from barren earth. Stone soup, off cuts, leftovers — with a little knowhow, a lot of love (and, of course, the priceless seasoning of self-reliant making-do) forgotten foods can be made memorable. While generations of grandmas may have mastered the fried pig skin — and who are we to turn up our snouts at them — our favorite come from not from a master matriarch, but from a mechanical engineer. Cooked in olive oil with exotic malabar pepper, these cracklins are effervescent bursts of bacony flavor — humble gone haute, molecular gastronomic foam brought down to pig-sty level. Do pigs fly? These do.
Pimento Cheese Popcorn // Poppy Popcorn // Asheville, NC
When you're looking for a snack to pair with an icy beverage, shelve the boring beer nuts and sub in Poppy. Handcrafted in Asheville, a town known for, arts, outdoors, craft beer and now, popcorn, Poppy is easily one of our favorite small-batch makers in the US. From Salted Caramel to Everything Bagel, Cinnamon Bourbon to Southern Dill Pickle, Poppy has a Baskin Robbins level of flavor variety. Make no mistake, there is nothing mass-made, every bag is crafted with high-quality ingredients and non-GMO Corn (not to mention sleek design). We reach for the Pimento, an ode to the Southern sandwich staple. So grab a handful but don't sleep on using it as a cheesy sub for croutons in a salad or to add a little crunch to these elote tacos.
From The Maker:
"Ditch the typical butter-flavored movie theater popcorn, and treat yourself to the Pimento Cheese Popcorn from Poppy. This cheese-flavored snack was handcrafted in Asheville, NC and brings together the 'light as air' delight of crunchy popcorn with the savory flavors of sharp cheddar cheese, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Just don't forget to share!"
Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Tacos With Crumbled Pimento Cheese Popcorn & Fresca Salsa Recipe Here
Red Duck Taco Sauce // Red Duck Foods // Portland, OR
Choose anything from Mild, Spicy or Korean and Red Duck makes taco night effortless with an easy dump and pour sauce for grilled chicken, ground beef or any taco stuffing under the taco sun. These sauces are organic and low sugar while still being high in taco satisfaction.
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