Gulf of Maine Conservas Wild Bluefin Tuna
Widely considered the “king of fish,” bluefin tuna is such a delicacy it’s typically reserved for sushi and sashimi—until now. Sustainably line-caught one fish at a time on the Gulf of Maine, this canned wild bluefin tuna is far from your everyday grocery store brand. Darker in color and hand-packed in large, flaky pieces with extra virgin olive oil, this delicate tuna is rich, meaty and buttery. Moist and full of savory, natural flavor that isn’t overly fishy or dry like other brands, Gulf of Maine Conserva’s canned tuna is so good, it doesn’t need any sauces or ingredients. Add it to toasts, crackers, salads and pastas plain, or dress it up with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice, herbs, alliums and something briny. Or, add it to any of your favorite classic tuna dishes.
Haeoorim Jeju Korean Fish Sauce
For those put off by the typical pungency of fish sauce, Haeeorim’s Jeju Korean Fish Sauce—a milder, less funky take on the classic staple—may be just the thing. Caught in the waters off of Korea’s Jeju Island by local fisherman, a combination of young and horse mackerel marinate in salt crystals from Jeju before being expertly sealed in traditional Onggi (Korean earthenware pots) for more than a year. After the initial fermentation, a mixture of locally-grown daikon radish, sea kelp from Wando and local mandarin orange are added to the Onggi to add interesting notes of flavor, complexity and a bit of sweetness. After another period of aging and ripening, the resulting sauce is clean without the funk of typical fish sauce— thanks to milder mackerel, a less pungent option than the anchovies typically used for fish sauce, and longer fermenting—yet still full of meaty fish flavor. With a little more sweetness and a lighter touch of salt than most other brands, this fish sauce lends itself beautifully to a variety of dishes, from noodles and vegetables to sauces and marinades.
Shibanuma Yakiniku BBQ Sauce
Translating to “grilled meat” in Japanese, yakiniku is a social style of cooking and eating around a communal grill. Popular throughout Japan, family and friends gather around a tabletop grill to cook meat, vegetables and fish together before dipping them into a several kinds of yakiniku sauces. Shibanuma’s Yakiniku BBQ Sauce is inspired by this concept. Crafted by a 330-year-old esteemed Japanese soy sauce maker, it is no surprise that the first ingredient in this sauce is an umami-rich soy sauce, which is brewed and aged in wooden barrels. The soy is then combined with onion, fruity apple and zingy sansho pepper—a fragrant and floral Japanese peppercorn—to cut through the richness and balance out the flavors. The result? A complex grilling sauce that works just as well as a marinade as it does drizzled over rice.
The Toffee Merchant Salted Espresso Toffee
The best toffee we’ve tried comes from The Toffee Merchant, a small-batch, award-winning confectioner in Arizona that produces tender, crunchy toffee that won’t break a tooth. Unlike any other toffee we’ve tried, this thick slab breaks easily into flaky pieces. Cooked slowly and using the highest quality ingredients, their Salted Espresso Toffee packs a punch of coffee flavor into the sweet dark chocolate. Caramel complements buttery pecans and almonds, but just the right amount of espresso powder and a pinch of salt add surprising depth. Don’t be surprised if you go through a bag in a day. This stuff is that addictive.
Hot Pot Queen Wild Mushroom Chunky Chili Sauce
Hot Pot Queen’s Wild Mushroom Chili Sauce is a málà powerhouse hailing from the Chinese mountains of Yunnan. Unlike your run-of-the-mill chili oil or crisp, this spicy, robust topping of thick, chewy mushroom swimming in flavorful oil stands out with its hearty texture. Crafted from a blend of shiitake and wild Boletus mushrooms, sourced from prime foraging spots in Yunnan, this sauce offers a slightly sweet undertone from fermented soybeans, earthy notes from multiple mushroom varieties and toasty hints of sesame. It's the quintessential málà “hot pot” experience without overwhelming heat, adding depth to noodles, rice, fish, roasted vegetables, dumplings and fried eggs with its umami burst. Or try it to enrich soups, stews and stir-fries. It even works mixed into a bowl of hot water to create a sensational soup base.
Il Colle Del Gusto Sicilian Pistachio Spread
Made from Sicilian pistachios and extra-virgin olive oil, Pistacchiosa is a creamy, aromatic spread you will want to put on all your desserts and, yes, eat straight out of the jar.
Huilerie Beaujolaise Calamansi Vinegar
We absolutely love this small-batch vinegar from French artisanal producer Huilerie Beaujolaise. With a bright and tangy vibrancy akin to tangerine, this vinegar almost tastes like a shrub, or drinking vinegar. Ubiquitous to Filipino cuisine, calamansi is a citrus hybrid between kumquat and mandarin orange.
Super Sarap Sauce
Sarap is the Tagalog word for “delicious” or “tasty,” and Super Sarap Sauce, small-batch Filipino condiment made in San Francisco, certainly lives up to the name. Savory, tangy, sweet, citrusy and a little peppery, this powerhouse sauce is unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. The pairing of calamansi, a tart citrus that combines lemon, lime and orange flavors, with mushroom, tamari and sugar adds salt, acid, umami and brightness to any dish. If we were to liken it to anything else on the market, it’s closest to a mixture of ponzu and Worcestershire sauces—but the comparison doesn’t do it justice. And with a relatively thin consistency, it’s easy to mix into sauces, dressings, use as a marinade, coat noodles, tacos, eggs or french fries.
Empress Pineapple Miso Hot Sauce
Made and bottled in Taiwan, this small-batch hot sauce features Taiwan-grown pineapples sourced from family farms and a hint of miso. Inspired by the flavor of tacos al pastor, savory miso, fruity chilies and bright, acidic pineapple combine to make a mild-to-moderate hot sauce. It’s excellent in a marinade, thanks to pineapple’s natural ability to tenderize; we love it in grilling and basting sauces. It’s also wonderful on pizza, thanks to its smooth and pourable consistency.
Mount Mansfield Maple Products Maple Syrup
This incredibly rich syrup has notes of butterscotch, honey and toasted sugar, with a heady base of vanilla and dried fruit. A member of our kitchen team likened its richness to a melted Werther's candy. It’s medium-bodied, which means it can easily be drizzled, but never too watery like store-bought versions. Compared to others, this one has a strong “true maple” flavor to it—nothing like more run-of-the-mill syrups that often have an off pine taste.
King Foods Kabosu Dressing
A popular Japanese citrus closely related to yuzu, kabosu is the star ingredient in this tangy dressing. Prepared by accomplished chef to the Japanese royal family and head of King Foods, Takashi Hidie, it combines satisfyingly acidic kabosu juice with sugar, vinegar, EVOO, dashi and bonito powder for a tart and smoky result with the right amount of sweetness. We don’t just reserve this light dressing for salad, though—use it to marinade meat or as a dipping sauce, add it to rice and noodles or drizzle on steaks, burgers and sandwiches.
King Foods Onion Dressing
Onion is the star ingredient in this well-balanced dressing. Prepared by accomplished chef to the Japanese royal family and head of King Foods, Takashi Hidie, it combines the popular allium with oil, vinegar, honey and garlic for a slightly sweet, onion-forward result with just the right hit of acid. We don’t just reserve this pleasantly thick dressing for salad, though—use it to marinade meat or as a dipping sauce, add it to rice, noodles, steaks, burgers and sandwiches.
King Foods Carrot Dressing
Carrots are the star ingredient in this unique dressing. Prepared by accomplished chef to the Japanese royal family and head of King Foods, Takashi Hidie, it combines carrots with honey, vinegar and garlic for a tangy and savory result that strikes a lovely balance between sweetness and zest. We don’t just reserve this pleasantly thick dressing for salad, though—use it to marinade meat or as a dipping sauce, add it to rice and noodles, steaks, burgers or sandwiches.
Soom Premium Tahini
Many supermarket tahinis are over-roasted, which gives them an unpleasant, bitter flavor. They are also too thick and hard to stir into a creamy blend. Soom's tahini has a full, nutty flavor as well as a pourable and well-balanced texture, made from roasted and pressed premium white sesame seeds that have an ideal oil-to-protein ratio.
Pure Indian Foods Alphonso Mango Puree
Rarely have we seen a mango puree in supermarkets and, if we do, it’s often full of sweeteners and additives. Made from Alphonso mangoes, which are renowned in India for their natural sweetness and buttery-smooth texture, this puree contains no added sugar or preservatives—it’s just pure, juicy mango. About five fresh mangos are packed into every jar of this luscious puree and its silky texture is pourable, yet decadent like yogurt, and has a rich, bright flavor that balances sweet and tart, akin to snacking on refreshing mangoes at their peak season.
Haci Bekir Turkish Coriander Sweets
Nihonichi Shoyusco Jalepeño Hot Sauce
Nihonichi’s Jalapeño Shoyusco Hot Sauce was wildly different from any other hot sauce our testers had ever tried before. It’s produced in Japan by a revered shoyu manufacturer that traces its roots back to the 1700s. To make their soy sauce, they ferment soy for up to two years in 100-year-old cedar wood vats, unlike the stainless steel tubs other producers use. Once brewed, the soy sauce is combined with balsamic vinegar, which serves as a unique base, lending depth to the light, bright addition of jalapeño heat. There’s a welcome thread of garlic rounded out with white pepper for an addictive, truffle-like quality. Its’ spicy, bright and packed with umami—what’s not to love? It disappears so quickly in Matthew Card’s, Creative Director of Recipes and Products, house, that he buys three bottles at a time.
Villa Jerada Harissa
Villa Jerada’s Harissa No. 1 is our favorite version of this North African red pepper paste for its bright, complex flavor. While many store-bought varieties have a one-dimensional spicy flavor, this harissa layers acidity and fruitiness with preserved lemons, a touch of vinegar and tomato paste for a lively, tangy condiment. Villa Jerada uses just enough high-quality Moroccan olive oil to make the harissa spreadable and smooth without diluting its flavor, as opposed to conventional brands that contain a high proportion of water and vegetable oil.
#changethewayyoucook
