Ají de Tomate de Arbol (Tree Tomato Hot Sauce) is wonderful as a marinade or served with empanadas, chips or on top of fish and poultry.
Ají de Tomate de Arbol is a simple sauce that goes great on grilled seafood and poultry, gives soups that extra zest, and makes a great dipping sauce for patacones or plantain chips. You can keep it in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to one week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The printable recipe card with exact amounts and directions is below.
Tree tomatoes (tomates de árbol) or frozen pulp, habanero pepper, scallions, fresh cilantro, lime, sugar, salt and pepper. If you don't like habanero flavor, just use your favorite hot pepper or red pepper flakes.
What is Tomate de Arbol or Tamarillo)?
It translates to tree tomato and it 's a fruit that is shaped like an egg and is either dark yellow-orange or red. The red ones are more tart than the yellow-orange tree tomatoes.
In Colombia we use them to make juice, marinades, salad dressings, and sauces for meats, seafood and poultry. They are also used to make jam and other desserts.
Where to Buy Tomate de Arbol?
Here in the United States, if can’t find fresh tomato de árbol, I buy frozen pulp or frozen whole tomatoes at the supermarket or online and they work perfect for this recipe. Sometimes I get lucky and find fresh ones at my local Latin market.
How to Make Ají de Tomate de Arbol?
- Peel and place the tree tomatoes in a blender with the hot pepper. Puree until well combine.
- Place in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to one week
More Sauces and Dips
Ají de Tomate de Arbol (Tree Tomato or Tamarillo Hot Sauce) Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tomates de árbol tree tomatoes or 1 cup of frozen pulp
- ½ habanero or small red chili pepper
- 5 tablespoons chopped scallions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and place the tree tomatoes in a blender with the hot pepper. Puree until well combine.
- Place in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to one week
Alan Bowman
You are fortunate that in the US you can get many of the Colombian ingredients. Here in Spain we are not so fortunate and any that we can get by mail order, either from US or Colombia are heavily hit with Customs duty.
Marcia Adatto
My neighbor here in Ecuador just handed me some of these that grow in sight from my kitchen window. I have seen them many times but have never enjoyed. Thanks for this information~!!