Andreas Bros Oyster and Seafood Sauce
Sunday, May 1st, 2005
I had the good fortune to obtain two bottles of Andreas Bros Oyster and Seafood Sauce (one mild, one hot) as part of my birthday present from my father. The sauce is the culmination of years of study and experimentation by Tom and Chris Andreas. They’ve both been gardeners all their lives, and grew up with a gardener father (Chris Sr.). The two brothers, aided by their father, were able find and buy rare heirloom pepper seeds, and in 2000, bought a greenhouse and called it the “Greenhouse Garden Center.”
All this to make a pepper sauce to go with their oysters…
It makes a great story, but I like the story even more because these are local guys. The Andreas Bros. Chile Pepper Co. is located on Arctic Parkway in Ewing, NJ, about five minutes from where I grew up. My father found out about the hot sauce from the horse’s mouth, as it were. One of the brothers happens to shop at the liquor store where my father works. Knowing how much I love food (especially any local or heirloom products), my father asked if he could buy a few bottles for me. And the rest, as they say, is history.
I was so anxious to try these sauces that I’ve been pouring them on my finger (I really like hot sauce). These are my kinds of hot sauces; the mild sauce has a bite, the hot variety makes your mouth glow. Neither is too hot. The folly of too many a hot sauce maker is to go for the extreme, which is why we have hot sauces that require waivers. The Andreas Bros, however, understand that chiles also have nuances of flavor, not just mouth-scorching heat. These sauces are the proof in the pudding: spicy, oniony, tart, rich, slightly sweet, and most importantly, peppery.
It’s no mistake that these sauces are so well balanced. The brothers love their heat, but as I mentioned before, they made these sauces specifically to go with oysters on the half shell (it’s based more on a mignonette sauce than a hot sauce). Oysters, my friend, do not deserve to be burned by 400,000 Scovilles. Oysters should be the main attraction, otherwise why eat a raw oyster?
There is good news. Even though these are “local guys,” they ship anywhere. You can purchase a sampler pack ($9.95 plus shipping) off of their website, http://www.abcpepperco.com. If that’s not enough, they also sell gallon jugs and case lots, just check the site.
