Not all hot sauces taste the same: a guide to the ones worth knowing

Everything on our hot sauce shelf is here for one reason: flavour. Not heat level, not novelty. Some of them are barely hot at all. What they all have is complexity. Each one does something the others don't.

Here's what we're stocking right now, and what makes each one worth knowing.

Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp The one that started the chili crisp conversation. Made in Chengdu, it has a deep, smoky complexity from Sichuan peppercorns and fermented black beans — tingly rather than hot, with a texture you want on everything. Eggs, noodles, roasted vegetables. Fly By Jing even recommend it on vanilla ice cream, and they're not wrong.

Holy Duck Chili Oil Made in Vancouver with Canadian duck fat, this one is rich and savoury in a way that most chili oils aren't. The fat carries the flavour differently — more rounded, more lingering. Good on dumplings, good on rice, good anywhere you want heat with some body behind it.

Terroni Peperoncini Piccanti Italian hot chili peppers pickled in oil — bright, tangy, with a clean heat that doesn't linger too long. The jar that lives next to the stove. Takeout pizza, pasta, a cheese board that needs some life. One of our best sellers, and once you try it you'll understand why.

Chuck Hughes Pepper Spread Less heat, more flavour. A roasted red pepper spread with just enough chili to keep things interesting — saucy, slightly sweet, deeply savoury. Stir it into a sauce, spread it on a sandwich, use it anywhere you'd reach for a good romesco.

Cap Bon Harissa The classic. This Tunisian harissa in a tube is straightforward, consistent, and genuinely good. Carrot salad, lamb, eggs, the base of a braise. It does its job without fuss, and it does it well.

Belazu Rose Harissa Slow-burning and smoky with a sweetness that comes from the rose — this is the harissa for people who think they don't like harissa. Softer than the Cap Bon, more complex, and deeply versatile. Stir it through roasted vegetables, use it as a marinade for lamb or chicken, or swirl it into yoghurt. One of our most-reached-for jars.

New York Shuk Harissa with Preserved Lemon Same tradition, completely different personality. The preserved lemon adds a bright, fermented tang that lifts the whole thing — smoother and more complex than a standard harissa, and works as much as a condiment as a cooking ingredient.

Ottolenghi Green Harissa The one that breaks the template entirely. Made with green chillies and jalapeño, it's bright and herbaceous where the others are deep and smoky — a completely different register. Use it anywhere you'd use a salsa verde but want more warmth. Spooned over fish, stirred into a grain salad, alongside roasted cauliflower.

Shuug Original Zhoug The outlier on the shelf. A Yemeni green hot sauce made with fresh herbs, green chili, and warm spices — it tastes like nothing else we carry. Herbaceous and bright with a clean, immediate heat. The one people are always surprised by. Spoon it over hummus, stir it into yoghurt, serve it alongside grilled meat or fish.

CJ Haechandle Gochujang We stock the mild version specifically, because good mild gochujang is genuinely hard to find. CJ Haechandle is the one to know — it's a step above most of the brands you'd come across more easily, with a cleaner fermented flavour and none of the cloying sweetness you sometimes get. Fermented, slightly sweet, deeply savoury — one of those ingredients that does something no other condiment does. Marinades, dipping sauces, a spoonful into a soup that needs depth.

Amma's Malaysian Sambal by Lost in the Sauce Slow-cooked and deeply caramelised, this Toronto-made sambal is one of the spicier things on our shelf — but it's got real depth behind the heat. Rich, complex, and slow-burning. Stir it through fried rice, use it as a base for a simple noodle dish, or use it as a marinade. If you're into heat, slather it straight onto a sandwich too.

The full lineup is in the shop.