Gluten Free Sauces: Shiloh's All Natural Harissa Spicy Sauce

PRODUCT NAME:                     Shiloh’s Harissa Spicy Sauce

COMPANY NAME:                     Shiloh’s All Natural

COST:                                       $7.40

SIZE:                                        11 oz

COST PER OZ:                         $0.67            

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:       YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        GFCO

ORGANIC:                                NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:        N/A

VEGAN:                                   YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:         NO

LOCATION OF FACILITY:         N/A

SHELF LIFE:                            1 Year +

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.               

REVIEW:

Taste:

Upon my arrival to our wonderful headquarters , I was asked perhaps my favorite question of this job: “What are you in the mood to try today?”

Upon considering such a wonderful question I knew I wanted something savory. I have been really on top of reviewing snacks and energy bars, and had certainly enjoyed the task. Despite this fact, I was coming to a point where these meal substitutes were leaving me craving just a touch more to dig my teeth into and I knew the quickest way to get to that was to steer away from the sweet and the crunchy/salty and head straight into products designed to accent meals. Enter Shiloh’s Harissa Spicy Sauce.

First let us discuss Harissa in general: What is that?! Before my review opportunity I had never heard of Harissa and all I knew was that I was presented with a jar of fire red oily sauce and I was intrigued. After some research I found out that Harissa is described as a Tunisian hot chili sauce commonly eaten in North African cuisine. Its main ingredients are chili and serrano peppers and spices such as garlic paste, coriander, red chili powder, caraway and vegetable or olive oil. It can be used as a compliment to stir fries or (less commonly) added to creamier products (sour cream or cream cheese) to make dips.

I decided to use this bombastic little sauce in a simply stir fry, so that I may understand the complexity of the flavor sans other influences. I steamed up some broccoli and tempeh, added some wheat-free tamari and about a teaspoon of Harissa and was on my way to North African influenced veggie heaven. The first note of flavor was the spice, of course. Shiloh’s takes care to use very simple, yet impactful flavors that deliver the biggest bang possible, for just a few ingredients. The very small amount I used delivered a delectable sting of spice that hit the tongue immediately and set my mouth ablaze in the finest way possible. If you, like me, like complex and spicy tastes (that may or may not make your eyes water, depending on how much you use) then you’ll love this. The other spices present in this sauce were merely subtle aftereffects to the depth of the chilies and although they added a pleasant bit of nuance, I couldn’t exactly identify them in the context of my stir fry. Essentially, all other spices aside from the chilies took a real back seat.

Aside from the spice, the fantastic oiliness of Harissa adds a great mouth feel to the product. The thick streams of oil present serve as a conduit to deliver the spice and soothe the burn immediately upon contact.  Although this is a delicious addition to any meal, it adds calories that quickly turned my stir fry into a more decadent-than-normal treat. One teaspoon of this stuff packs in 80 extra calories- roughly 50% MORE calories than olive oil!. Although adding one teaspoon to a broccoli - tempeh stir fry is not big deal calorically, adding ¼ cup of it to some pork chops (something I imagine somebody could easily do if they weren’t paying attention) could turn your meal into an immediate calorie bomb. This is definitely something to be aware of!

Labeling:

Labeling of this product was clear and concise. I deem it to be very sufficient.

Packaging:

This sauce was packaged in a glass recyclable jar. The packaging seemed sufficient for the freshness of the product.

Reader’s Reviews:

Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:           4

Taste:               4         

Value:              3

OVERALL:        3.7

Reviewed by Lacy D. 

Gluten Free Sauces: Shiloh's All Natural Bearnaise - Product Review #58

Gluten Free Sauce: Shiloh's All Natural Bearnaise

PRODUCT NAME:                          Béarnaise Sauce

BRAND:                                         Shiloh’s All Natural

COST:                                           $7.40

SIZE:                                             11fl oz

COST PER OZ:                              $0.67/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:            YES

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             GFCO

ORGANIC:                                     NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

VEGAN:                                         NO

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:              UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:              California

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:
The other day, we got some arctic char (a mix between a trout and a salmon) to cook up for lunch. As the resident chef here at the studio, I was looking for something to flavor it with. I had thought about flavoring it with some gluten free teriyaki sauce, but then I remembered that I had gotten some Béarnaise sauce from the nice people at Shiloh’s All Natural sauces at the Fancy Food Show. Béarnaise sauce is a French sauce that kind of looks like tartar sauce, but is flavored with lemon juice, tarragon, and shallots.

It all started when Shiloh’s Steakhouse, owned by Fabrice and Geoffrey Ghanem, opened up in Los Angeles, California. With a successful restaurant up and running, demand for their sauces and marinades grew. That’s when they decided to team up with their executive chef Katsuji Tanabe to create sauces they can bottle up to sell. They’ve gone to great length to ensure that these sauces are of the highest quality. You might be pleased to see that the entire line of sauces is certified parve as well as certified gluten free by GFCO.

Arctic Char with Shiloh's Gluten Free Bearnaise Sauce

Let me say that I was blown away by this sauce; it was the perfect complement to the fish. I pan fried the fish and at the last minute spread the sauce over it so that the sauce would melt into the fish. It added a nice buttery taste to the fish with just the right amount of herbs. At 190 calories and 21g of fat per 2 tablespoons of sauce it is more on the indulgent side of things, but you don’t really need to add too much of this sauce to infuse the fish with flavor. I think I only used about half a table spoon on each of the fillets of fish. On the plus side, the sodium is relatively low for such a flavorful sauce at 125mg per 2 tablespoon servings. My suggestion is to hold off on adding salt when using this sauce because you probably won’t even need it.

Overall, we loved this sauce and can’t wait to try it on some chicken and steak. At $0.67/oz, it’s not a bad value either for such a delicious sauce. The fact that it is has a parve certification and is certified gluten free is just the cherry on top. If you are interested in purchasing some Shiloh’s delicious sauces, right around now they should be available at your local Whole Foods or you can always find them on their website at: www.shilohsauces.com.

Taste: Delicious sauce that is the perfect flavor addition to your favorite fish, but seeing how much we enjoyed it, I’m sure it’ll go great on chicken or steak as well.

Labeling: This sauce is certified gluten free and parve and it’s nice to see those certification seals on this bottle. The nutrition facts are a little difficult to read. Due to the size of the bottle, it is in paragraph form rather than the traditional nutrition facts table.

Packaging: A very attractive glass jar that you can probably find another use for.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:
Texture:            5
Taste:                5
Value:               3
OVERALL:         4.3

Reviewed 012711 by Calvin C.