Ready to take your hot sauce experience up to a whole new level? Serrano hot sauce, made with Serrano peppers will certainly do that, leaving your taste buds buzzing and begging for more!

The Serrano pepper hails from Mexico, specifically the mountainous regions of Puebla and Hidalgo. Its scientific name is Capsicum annuum, but its common name is derived from "sierra," the Spanish word for "mountain range." Serrano peppers bear a resemblance to the jalapeño, but with a Scoville rating of 10,000 to 25,000 they are considerable hotter. They are not nearly as hot as the habanero, which is rated 100,000 to 350,000 on the scale. They are the hottest pepper easily available in the United States.

The Serrano pepper plant can grow to be about 5 feet tall, with a mature plant bearing about 50 pods. Before they ripen, Serrano peppers are green. Upon ripening, the color can vary from green to red to yellow, orange or brown. Serrano peppers are smaller than jalapeños, about 1 to 2 inches long and about one-half inch in diameter. The Largo variety can be about twice this size. The peppers are long and tapered, with a rounded end.

One of the most frequently used peppers in Mexico, Serrano peppers have a bite, yet taste crisp, clean and bright, making them a perfect addition to salsa, pico de gallo and, of course, Serrano hot sauce. Serrano peppers are thin-walled, which means that they don't require any sort of steaming or cooking to make them suitable for eating, which also adds to their ease of use. Being rather meaty peppers, they don't dry well and are generally used fresh.

Hot Sauce Planet offers a variety of great-tasting Serrano pepper hot sauces, each one with a distinct flavor to liven up anything you put it on. Green Bandit Basil Serrano Hot Sauce adds the aromatic flavor of basil and other herbs including ginger and garlic to the bite of the Serrano for a special treat. Danny Cash's Garlic Serrano Salvation Hot Sauce blends savory garlic for a smooth sharpness and helps raise money for those in need. For pepper purists, Cajohn's Simply Chili Select Serrano Puree is thick and crisp with pure Serrano flavor.

Serrano hot sauces are, of course, great in traditional Mexican or Southwest cooking, but they are also great on other dishes including eggs, soups and sandwiches. They also make a great marinade for chicken, beef and fish. Because peppers are so low in calories but high in nutrients, hot pepper sauces are a great way to spice up an otherwise bland dish for people who are watching what they eat. Try Serrano hot sauce on anything that needs a bit more zing and give your mouth a special treat!