Better Than Tabasco? Louisiana's Crystal Hot Sauce

On nearly every table in New Orleans, I found two bottles: one of Tabasco and one of Crystal. The people of Louisiana have strong allegiance to one or the other, and a missing bottle of favorite hot sauce can be cause for much grumbling. I dutifully tried both during my stay. Guess which one has taken up residence in my kitchen?

Crystal has a deep, almost smoky pepper flavor. You taste that intense pepper flavor first, the heat second, and then the vinegar and saltiness come into play. Sipping spoonfuls of the raw stuff, Crystal becomes strangely addictive!

The explanation is clear when you look at the ingredients. Crystal's first ingredient is "aged red cayenne peppers." Tabasco's? That would be "distilled vinegar."

Now, I love Tabasco and have used it to brighten my dishes for years. Maybe it's the novelty of Crystal that's attracting me at the moment, but I have to admit that it's doing a good job of winning me over.

Maybe, like the residents of Louisiana, I will have to start keeping both. And a bottle of garlicky Sriracha for good measure.

Do you owe allegiance to a particular hot sauce?

(Information for this post was gathered during a press trip to New Orleans sponsored by the Louisiana Seafood Board. All views and opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author.)

(Image: Emma Christensen)

Comments (19)

I'm a Franks Red Hot man when I don't make my own.

Sriracha has a spot in my kitchen at all times as well.

I would have to side with Crystal in this debate for exactly the reasons you describe: it's more peppery than vinegary. There are definitely times when you'll want to use the tabasco in cooking for just that reason. For the table, however, i prefer the Crystal (and the Sriracha of course).

I am pro Franks Red Hot too.

I prefer Crystal too because it isn't as vinegary as Tabasco. I also like to keep Cholula, Tapatia, and Sriracha around. Each have their uses.

Never heard of Franks Red Hot! Being a hot sauce fiend, I'll definitely have to check that one out.

I also picked up some Crystal while in NOLA last year. I admit to using it pretty interchangeable with Tabasco. I also have Tapatio and Cholula for Mexican food. But most of the time if I"m looking for heat I reach for the jar of Garlic Chili Sauce--I have a bottle of Sriracha as well, but I find it to be too sweet a lot of the time. They have larger jars at the store I shop at, which is good, because I go through it pretty quickly. :)

Crystal is waaay better than reg'aler old tabasco, but the secret aardvark should really come in six packs...it's that good!

http://www.secretaardvark.com/

What, no talk of Red Rooster? But yes, sriracha has been my new ketchup LOL

We are 100% Crystal people, and have been for many years. Not only is it less vinegary than Tabasco, it has a cleaner taste too. My husband marinates wings in Crystal (we literally buy it in a gallon container), fresh jalapenos, lots of garlic, and red pepper flakes, and then grills them low and slow. Best wings ever.

They have finally started selling this in KC, but I used to have to have friends from the south bring cases of it to me when they came through. Love it best on stove-popped popcorn the best

NakedLunchSF serves Crystal on fried chicken sandwich days, and I don't usually like things with vinegar and hot sauces often make me dry heave, but Crystal has earn a slot in our fridge door.

I've got a bottle of Crystal on my desk right now, and a big bottle in the fridge at home. It is the best, although the hot sauce sold at Walgreen's for 99 cents is pretty darn good, too.

Sriachi and Blair's After Death.

I love Crystal! I first tried it at a middle eastern place up in Cleveland randomly and have been hooked since. It now has a permanent spot in our fridge, along with Sriracha and Cholula. So, Crystal is our essential hot sauce, Cholula for anything Spanish/Mexican, and Sriracha for most Asian dishes. Love good hot sauce!

Ziggy's Here Comes The Slide Hot Sauce. Handmade in small batches here in Southern California. I use it at every meal.

Crystal and Franks! Tabasco is gross

Love hot sauce and have tried them all. Crystal has a great flavor and heat level,as well as a lower sodium than the other cayenne sauces.