TABASCO® Sauce plans to mark the historical milestone with a year-long celebration dedicated to the people who have made it a staple ingredient in classic and contemporary recipes around the world.
The 150th anniversary will kick-off in New Orleans in January with the first ever TABASCO® Week.
TABASCO® Sauce was first created in 1868 when Edmund McIlhenny harvested his first tabasco pepper crop from which he created a piquant sauce to enliven the flavours in foods for his family and friends.
Today, 150 years later, the same three ingredients that made his TABASCO® Sauce – tabasco peppers, salt and vinegar – are aged and bottled by Edmund’s family the McIlhenny Company on Avery Island, the process virtually unchanged
To further inspire celebrations TABASCO® Brand has invited chef and bartender friends from around the world to create recipes of classic dishes and drinks that have made the sauce an icon
And we have some below, Cajun Seafood Gumbo Created by Eula Mae Doré (U.S.) and Avery Island Wings Created by Tom Douglas of Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen (U.S.)
Cajun Seafood Gumbo
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients
For Gumbo
180ml vegetable oil
900g fresh okra, thinly sliced, or equivalent canned or frozen
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
3.7 litres of water
900g ham, cubed
3 large onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 garlic head, cloves peeled but left whole
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 400g can chopped tomatoes
1.8kg medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
900g lump crabmeat
1 tbsp TABASCO® Sauce
For Serving
1.5kg cooked rice
Preparation
In a large skillet (non-cast iron), heat 120ml of the oil over medium heat. Add the okra and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes, or until it is no longer ropy. Add the vinegar and cook, stirring, for another 10 minutes, until the okra takes on a brownish color and is reduced to about a quarter of its original volume. Transfer the okra to a medium bowl and set aside.
In a large stockpot, bring the water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, add the remaining 60ml oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook for about 10 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer the ham to the stockpot.
Add the onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the vegetables, okra, and tomatoes to the stockpot. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 1 hour, or until the vegetables are very tender.
Reduce the heat to very low, add the shrimp, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes. Add the crabmeat and TABASCO® Sauce and simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, to blend flavors.
Serving Suggestion
Serve the gumbo in soup bowls with scoops of rice.
Makes 6-8 Servings
Avery Island Wings
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus overnight
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
240ml soy sauce
120ml Dijon mustard
120ml water
2 60ml bottles TABASCO® Sauce
1 large whole bulb of garlic peeled & chopped
2 tsp peeled and chopped fresh ginger
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
18 whole, large chicken wings, or 24 small wings
Preparation
Whisk the soy sauce, mustard, water, TABASCO® Sauce, garlic, ginger, and herbs together in a bowl. Reserve 120ml of the marinade to be used for basting and sauce.
Add the chicken wings and the remaining marinade to a zip lock bag, seal and turn the bag a couple times to make sure the wings are well marinated. Refrigerate overnight.
Fire up your grill. Remove the chicken wings from the marinade, then discard this marinade.
Grill the wings over medium-low coals, turning often, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cook the wings slowly so they cook thoroughly before the glaze burns.
While grilling, heat the reserved marinade in a saucepan and use some of it to baste the wings a few times while cooking.
Cut into one of the wings to make sure no pink remains near the bone, then remove the wings from the grill and serve.
Makes 6 Servings
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To learn more about the 150th anniversary of TABASCO® Sauce, visit TABASCO.com or follow the conversation on social media with #TABASCO150.