by Bottom Line: The Lightning Strike Hot Sauce from Cajun Power delivers a flavorful Louisiana-style sauce with some good heat.
When it comes to Louisiana-style hot sauces, Tabasco, Frank’s RedHot, Crystal, Texas Pete, and Louisiana Hot Sauce are some of the best-known brands. But there’s another one that has been around for 47 years, and if you see Cajun Power Lightning Strike Hot Sauce on the shelf, I recommend picking it up. It is similar to the other sauces mentioned above, made with a simple set of ingredients, and it definitely packs a punch.
This sauce has a nice richness to it, followed by a notable tang and a bit of saltiness to finish it out—but not to the point of being too salty. The expected vinegar pucker of a Louisiana-style sauce is there, but it doesn’t overwhelm, as it balances well with the other flavors. There’s also just a touch of sweetness, along with a little bit of garlic in the background. As Louisiana-style sauces go, Cajun Power Lightning Strike is really quite flavorful, and this could become a regular entry on my shelf.
The heat reaches about Medium on my scale, which is about as high as this type of sauce goes unless you are picking up an extra hot version. It certainly goes well with any of your Cajun favorites—gumbo, red beans and rice, étouffée, boudin, and more. But like any Louisiana-style sauce, its application extends far beyond that. It works particularly well with eggs, but pretty much anything that could use a kick would benefit from this sauce. It won’t overwhelm with heat or saltiness, but it does add a nice bite.
I found this sauce at The Best Stop Cajun Food in Katy, Texas (watch for an upcoming post on that place), but apparently, H-E-B carries it as well (though I don’t remember seeing it at my local store), as does Walmart. It will set you back about three to five bucks for a 10 oz bottle (depending on whether it’s on sale), so it’s not in the gourmet sauce price range. And it’s certainly worth adding to your hot sauce lineup as a solid representative of the Louisiana style.
Nutrition Info:
Ingredients: Vinegar, garlic, sugar, spices, salt, chiles, lime, xanthan gum (stabilizer)
Serving Size: 1 tsp
Calories: 4
Fat: 0g (0g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 0g
Carbs: 1g
Sodium: 150mg
