Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

A Sauce for Every Mood: 3 Seaberry Recipes for Adventurous Cooks

Welcome, flavour lovers!
This exclusive recipe collection is for those of you who believe good food should be delicious, gut-supportive, and a little bit wild.

I’ve been fermenting with sea buckthorn berries for years, and each batch brings new flavour discoveries. These bold, citrusy berries aren’t just a superfood — they’re a perfect fermentation partner, thanks to their high acidity, vitamin content, and naturally low sugar.

Below you’ll find three small-batch fermented hot sauce recipes built around sea buckthorn, sweet peppers, and herbs. Whether you’re spooning them onto tacos, stirring into salad dressings, or blending into marinades, these sauces bring zing, depth, and health benefits to every plate.

🌿 Why I Love Experimenting with Fermented Sea Buckthorn Sauces

Flavour Evolution: Fermentation transforms sharp ingredients into something deep, mellow, and complex — with just the right punch.
Nutritional Value: These sauces are not just about taste. They’ve got vitamins, antioxidants, and plant-based fatty acids, thanks to the power of sea buckthorn.
Probiotic Potential: Small-batch ferments introduce beneficial microbes that may help support gut balance.
Preservation without Waste: Fermentation is one of the oldest ways to reduce food waste while amplifying shelf life and flavour.

🧪 What the Science Says About Fermentation &

Sea Buckthorn

🦠 Gut Health & Microbial Diversity

Lactic acid fermentation (used in hot sauces) creates a hospitable environment for Lactobacillus and related bacteria. These microbes may support gut health by improving digestion, enhancing nutrient absorption, and contributing to microbial diversity. Studies suggest fermented foods may help reduce inflammation and even support mental well-being via the gut-brain axis.

🍊 Sea Buckthorn’s Nutrient Power

Sea buckthorn berries are remarkably rich in:

Vitamin C – Ranges from 200–2500 mg per 100g (some of the highest levels in the plant kingdom)
Vitamin E – A powerful antioxidant supporting skin and immune health
Polyphenols – Antioxidants shown to protect cells from oxidative damage
Carotenoids – Including beta-carotene and lycopene
Omega Fatty Acids – Including the rare omega-7 (palmitoleic acid), along with omega-3, 6, and 9

Although much of the omega content resides in the pulp and oil, even fermented whole berries in sauces can retain trace amounts, along with fibre and phytonutrients.

🔬 Fermentation + Sea Buckthorn = Synergy

Early research on fermented sea buckthorn products shows that:

Fermentation can help preserve vitamin C and enhance the antioxidant activity of the berries
The process may increase bioavailability of certain phenolic compounds
Sea buckthorn’s low sugar and high acidity create a safe, stable environment for controlled fermentation

In short: sea buckthorn and fermentation don’t just coexist — they amplify one another.

🌟 THE RECIPES

Each of these recipes ferments for about 5-7 days and can be blended, bottled, and refrigerated for months. No vinegar required — just time, salt, and nature doing its thing.

1. Citrusy & Bright

A citrus-forward ferment with lemongrass, sea buckthorn and golden bell peppers

💡 Try it with: roast chicken, avocado toast, seared fish, quinoa bowls, scrambled eggs

2. Fresh & Fruity

Peach, cilantro, and jalapeño bring tropical brightness to the seaberry base

💡 Try it with: tacos, pork sliders, rice bowls, grilled corn, roasted veggies

3. Dill Pickle Heat

Mustard seeds and fresh dill meet hot peppers and seaberry tang

💡 Try it with: burgers, potato salad, falafel, smoked salmon, poke bowls

(👀 Full recipes are listed below on this page — scroll down or use the button above.)

Top view of the ingredients for fermented seaberry carrot turmeric and lemongrass hot sauce

🌞 Citrusy & Bright: Seaberry, Carrot & Turmeric Fermented Sauce

Omega Fruit Sea Buckthorn Products

Like sunshine in a jar, this sauce is mellow on heat but bold on brightness. Sea buckthorn berries bring a tart citrus backbone, while carrot adds natural sweetness and body. Essences of lemongrass and turmeric lift the whole blend into golden territory — it’s warm, tangy, and almost glowing.

Perfect for those who like their hot sauce less fiery and more flavour-forward. Think of it as a fermented vinaigrette with attitude: spoonable, swirlable, and surprisingly versatile.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 5 20

Servings 36 Tbsp

Calories 5 kcal

Equipment

1 Large glass mason jar with lid
1 cutting board
1 Sharp knife
1 Strainer
1 Funnel
1 spatula
1 High speed blender
2 Hot sauce bottles with caps
1 medium sauce pan Optional to heat the hot sauce and stop fermentation.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sea buckthorn berries
2 large yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped
1 large red pencil hot pepper, sliced
4 medium garlic cloves
2 large sticks of lemongrass, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup carrot, finely sliced
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups filtered water

Instructions

Chop the peppers, lemongrass, and carrots.
Add all the ingredients in a large mason jar.
Add the salt and water to cover the ingredients.
Cover and let ferment for roughly 5 to 7 days, burping the jar every day.
Once the ingredients are well fermented and bubbling, strain out the brine and add the ingredients to a blender.
Add a 1/2 cup of brine to the blender and blend at high speed.
Transfer the blended hot sauce to a wire mesh strainer and press out the liquid from the fibres into a sauce pan if you are heating the sauce to stop fermentation. Strain into a glass pitcher if leaving to ferment further and pour into your hot sauce bottle using a funnel.
Transfer the liquid into glass hot sauce bottles once the liquid has cooled.

Video

Notes

🍽️ How to Use Fermented Sea Buckthorn Hot Sauces

Don’t just think of these as condiments — think of them as kitchen sidekicks.
Try them in:

Marinades for chicken, beef, tofu, or shrimp
Stirred into Greek yogurt, mayo or sour cream for a zingy dips
Brushed onto grilled vegetables
Blended into salad dressings or vinaigrettes
Dotted onto pizza or flatbreads
Drizzled over rice or poke bowls or roasted potatoes
Swirled into soup or broth before serving
Used like a vinegar substitute in slaws or potato salads
Drizzled over scrambled eggs, avocado toast, or tuna melts.

🍑 Fresh & Fruity: Seaberry Peach & Cilantro Fermented Sauce

Juicy, bright, and full of life, this sauce leans into the natural tang of sea buckthorn and the gentle sweetness of ripe peach. Jalapeños bring a mellow heat, while cilantro adds a garden-fresh snap that keeps every bite lively. Fermented with onion and garlic for complexity, this sauce is all about layering light fruit with herbal, citrusy depth. It’s a lively addition to tacos, grain bowls, grilled seafood, or anything that needs a splash of subtle sweet heat and fermented character.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 5 20

Servings 35 Tbsp

Calories 6 kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sea buckthorn berries
1 large ripe peach, chopped (frozen works too — just thaw first!)
2 large green jalapeños, sliced
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 medium bunch of fresh cilantro
1/2 large Spanish white onion, sliced
2 large garlic cloves
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups filtered water
1 tsp honey

Video

Notes

💪 Nutritional Highlights

✅ High in Vitamin C – Sea buckthorn berries are among the highest natural sources, supporting immunity and collagen production

✅ Rich in antioxidants – Including vitamin E, polyphenols, and carotenoids that protect cells from oxidative stress

✅ Supports gut health – Natural fermentation encourages beneficial lactic acid bacteria

✅ May support skin health – Thanks to the presence of omega-7, a rare fatty acid found in sea buckthorn pulp

Seaberry Dill and Jalapeno Fermented Sauce in a large Mason jar

🌿 Dill Pickle Heat: Seaberry, Jalapeño & Fresh Dill Fermented Sauce

Inspired by the briny snap of a classic dill pickle, this sauce brings together the bold herbal character of fresh dill, the tang of sea buckthorn berries, and the mellow warmth of jalapeños and red pencil pepper. Mustard seeds add that nostalgic deli note, while a touch of garlic and onion give the ferment savoury depth. It’s punchy, green, and layered — a perfect match for anything from potato salad to smoked salmon.

Prep Time10

Active Time5

Total Time5 20

Yield: 40 Tbsp

Calories: 3kcal

Materials

1 cup sea buckthorn berries
2 large green jalapeños, sliced
1 large red pencil hot pepper, sliced
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 large of a White onion, sliced
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 large large stocks of lemongrass, crushed and chopped
2 tsp sea salt
2 cups filtered water

Video

Notes

💬 Final Thoughts

These sauces reflect my favourite kind of kitchen creativity: a little improvisation, a lot of seasonal ingredients, and techniques rooted in tradition and science.

Thanks for being part of this journey — and if you try one (or invent your own!), I’d love to hear about it.
Tag me @MyPrettyBerry on Instagram or reply to this email with your fermentation stories!

Happy fermenting,
— Melissa

Ready to Ferment Your Own?

Click below to grab your sea buckthorn berries and start your next small-batch flavour experiment.
Tart, nutrient-dense, and frozen at peak freshness — perfect for sauces, smoothies, and more.

Frozen Sea Buckthorn Berries (1)

🔗 Research Sources

Lactic acid bacteria and gut health – A scientific overview of how probiotic microbes support digestion and immunity
What is lacto-fermentation? – Healthline’s guide to fermentation and its benefits
The microbiota–gut–brain axis – Nature Reviews: how gut health connects to mental well-being
Sea buckthorn’s nutrient profile – In-depth look at seaberry antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids
Sea buckthorn: Bioactive compound review – Peer-reviewed analysis of its omega fatty acids and polyphenols
Fermentation and antioxidant enhancement – How fermenting foods can preserve and boost nutrients
Phenolic bioavailability via fermentation – How fermentation increases the body’s ability to absorb antioxidants

Omega Fruit Sea Buckthorn Products

YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW

BENEFITS

With 70% of our immune system residing in our gut, what we put into it, counts! Sea buckthorn juice is known to help achieve balanced nutrient intake, cold and flu resistance and increased energy levels. It’s inflammation reducing antioxidants help athletes fight body fatigue, and the balanced Omegas fatty acids 3 – 6, 7* & 9, are considered to have a clear role in the prevention and healing of certain Atopic disorders.