As you might know by now, Papalote salsa was born when Papalote Mexican Grill opened its doors in 1999, in the heart of the San Francisco Mission District. 10 years later Chef Bobby Flay challenged Papalote to a burrito throwdown on Food Network’s Throwdown! with Bobby Flay. Bobby Flay showed up with a green burrito, Papalote Mexican Grill brought the Triple Threat Burrito, Papalote beat Flay, Flay said “The salsa is the secret weapon!” and the rest, as they say, is history.

After the burrito episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay aired in early 2010 I began to look into how I could get Papalote Salsa in stores to take advantage of Bobby Flay’s amazing endorsement and the exposure given to Papalote on this vastly popular platform. By September of that year the retail version of Papalote’s house salsa, known as Papalote Roasted Tomato House Salsa, hit the shelves of a few select stores, including a few Whole Foods locations in San Francisco. Soon after that the presence at Whole Foods expanded. First to the South Bay, then to the East Bay, and finally to the North Bay. In a couple of years Papalote Salsa was at every Whole Foods in the Northern California Region as far as Fresno, Santa Rosa, and even the Reno, Nevada store.

After a while, as Papalote Salsa gained traction, the buyers for the Whole Foods region asked if I was thinking of coming up with anything else. They wanted to offer me more retail real estate on their shelves, but there was only so much room they could offer a single SKU (stock keeping unit). They wanted some sort of variant, like different sizes, heat levels, flavors, etc.

I decided to add three variants. The way we select the ingredients and cook our tomato, garlic, and onion base is so unique I didn’t want to change anything with the foundation of the salsa. The option, as I saw it, was to change the pepper we use for the retail version we were making and bottling in Sonoma (based on the salsa we make at the restaurants, of course).

I decided to replace the original red dry chili pepper we traditionally use with three different kinds of peppers representative of different culinary regions of Mexico. Ugh, once again, I find myself opening a Pandora’s box writing about this decision and the thinking that went behind it. Not to mention the test kitchen headaches and all the hard work that went into making this happen. I should write a couple of blogs about the process and go into detail.

Anyway, one of the three varieties of salsa I decided on was Habanero (and I call them varieties because the only thing that changed with the three new SKUs of Papalote Salsa was the variety of pepper featured in each, well, variety of Papalote Salsa). 

I chose Habanero because, although the original Papalote Mexican Grill House Salsa already had a bit of a kick, based on feedback I received as I met and spoke with customers at my in-store demos at every Northern California Whole Foods (including Fresno, Santa Rosa, and Reno), people wanted a salsa that would deliver some serious heat.

The approach I used to create the Habanero variety was to celebrate the fruity, floral flavor and its citrusy notes, which then turn into smoky undertones as a unique, robust heat follows and lingers along with the floral and fruity components that remain in the palate.

The original roasted tomato, garlic, and onion base ended up being the perfect canvas for all three of the featured peppers, and it was especially delicious with the habanero variety because the smoky, darker notes of the salsa really bring forward all the marvelous attributes of the habanero pepper.

Habaneros are representative of the southeastern region of Mexico, particularly the Yucatán Peninsula. Many people know that dinosaurs went extinct because of a meteorite. However, it’s not commonly known that the meteorite landed right in that region. Imagine all the layers that were penetrated and exploded bringing out all types of minerals from the depths as well as from the meteorite itself. Thought the meteorite impact happened tens of millions of years ago, it did indirectly influence the evolution of all plants, including the lineage from which habaneros would later emerge. There are several varieties of Habanero in the Yucatán Peninsula.

In coming up with the recipe I just made my base salsa, which we’ve made in Sonoma from the very beginning with garlic from Gilroy, Onions from Oxnard, and tomatoes from the California Central Valley. I just kept adding raw Habanero peppers until the unique, distinctive flavor of the habanero popped, and a delicious heat followed. Papalote Roasted Tomato Salsa-Habanero is not anywhere near as hot as many habanero salsas and hot sauces that add oils and extracts to make their product excessively and painfully hot. Again, my intention is to showcase the flavor as well as all the extraordinary qualities of this remarkable pepper, including the naturally occurring intensity of heat habaneros deliver (but not focusing solely on the heat).

The end result is an incredibly tasty salsa that is not only great for dipping, but is also great for cooking. Your favorite cerveza will greatly appreciate the company of a generous serving of corn chips dipped in Papalote Habanero Salsa. Papalote Habanero Salsa is also amazing on eggs in the morning to add a deliciously addicting “wake me up” kick and boost of flavor with a smooth texture. It’s also perfect for adding flavor and complexity to your favorite recipes that call for a silky, rich tomato base. My favorite is a white wine and butter shrimp sauté with some of your favorite cubed vegetables and finishing it with Papalote Habanero Salsa. These Habanero Camarones a la Diabla can be served on a bed of rice or pasta. Absolutely delicious.

To celebrate the culmination of this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as the continued celebration of fifteen years of Papalote Salsas in stores, we’d like to feature our Papalote Mexican Grill Roasted Tomato Salsa HABANERO and offer 20% OFF when you purchase it online exclusively at our website, www.papalotesalsa.com.

Celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month and our 15th Anniversary with a HABANERO BANG! Sale ends at midnight on Monday, October 13. Use code HABANERO20 and save on your order of HABANERO Papalote Roasted Tomato Salsa.

Hubba hubba hubba!