Arriving from more northern latitudes to take a job at Sorry Charlie’s Oyster Bar and Cocktails in Savannah, Georgia, chef Nate Cayer found himself inspired. “When you’re not from an area, you’re intrigued with local flavors. I fell in love with the produce,” he says. His fresh perspective inspired a bold new condiment that marries a Southern staple, okra, with an oyster bar standard: hot sauce.
“We wanted to grab that Southern feel,” he says. “The flavor leans toward a tomatillo, interestingly enough, but you still have those earthy okra notes. And we char it, so there’s a little bit of charred flavor profile as well.”
The okra hot sauce makes a vibrant green addition to Sorry Charlie’s locally farmed Savannah Oyster Co. Bull River oysters, a small- to medium-sized oyster with a briny pop of flavor. They also use the hot sauce across the menu, blending it into an aïoli as a base for sandwiches and adding it to a fried fish taco and ceviche. “If we’re going to incorporate any kind of heat or acid we’ll use that hot sauce,” Cayer says.
Okra and Herb Verde Hot Sauce
Image courtesy of Zachary Kozdron
Recipe 
yields
Serves 2-4
¼ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup banana liqueur
4 bananas, peeled and cut in half length wise, then halved
¼ cup dark rum
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Countertop butane range (about 8,000 BTU) with 8-ounce butane canister
ingredients
special equipment
steps
- Combine butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a large, oval-shaped sauté pan. Place pan on gas burner over low heat and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Stir in banana liqueur, then place bananas in pan. After about 2 minutes, when bananas soften and begin to brown and butter and sugar are bubbling, carefully add rum. Continue to cook sauce until rum is hot, about 30 seconds.
- Tip pan towards you very slightly so dry part of pan gets really hot, about 20 seconds. Then tip pan away from you, not enough to spill the liquid but just enough so that the cooking flame can catch alcohol fumes and ignite. Immediately level the pan flat on the burner and turn off the gas. Flame will burst up so be prepared, but don’t worry: It will die down quickly. You can keep a metal lid or pan cover on the side if you’re worried about the flame extending too long.
- When flames subside, scoop bananas out of pan with tongs and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over ice cream and serve immediately.
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Emily Havener
Emily Havener enjoys writing about food almost as much as she enjoys eating it. She has been food blogging and developing recipes since 2008, and her particular areas of expertise are finding creative ways to use leftovers and never making a recipe the same way twice. She’s always up for raw fish of any kind and a good gin cocktail or a glass of orange wine.
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