Pepper Pioneers

Twins from Ewing answer the call for a
better seafood sauce


Written by: SUSAN SPRAGUE YESKE, Food Editor
Photography by: MICHAEL MANCUSO


     A Long Beach Island lighthouse and sailing ship adorn the label of Andreas Bros. Oyster and Seafood Sauces. But the spicy condiment, designed to enhance the taste of oysters, shrimp and fish filets, was developed here in landlocked Mercer County.

     Dissatisfied with sauces they tasted at seafood restaurants and markets, twin brothers Chris and Tom Andreas (above photo) decided to experiment. They planted their first pepper seeds in their parents' backyard garden in Ewing in the early 1990s.

     At that time, says Chris Andreas, the number of hot sauces available was limited, and interest had just begun to grow.

     They began by studying peppers, taking the scientific approach of growing their own to see what they liked. Their father, Christopher Andreas Sr., was the family gardener, so he helped with the project.

     "Pop was an old-school gardener," said Tom Andreas. "He fed the family well out of his garden, even though when we were growing up we didn't always appreciate the vegetables."

     His joy in gardening also helped to plant the seeds for the brothers' interest in landscaping.

     Their father helped the brothers find unusual seeds through the Seed Savers Society, which allowed them to try different varieties, even though his sons say he wasn't a big fan of peppers or pepper sauce.

     "When we grew up the spicy stuff was never on the table," said Chris Andreas.

     In 2000, they and a partner bought the former Jones' Greenhouse in Ewing and changed the name to the Greenhouse Garden Center. That's when their work with peppers began in earnest. They since have sold that business and returned to their earlier occupation as landscapers, but they had time to experiment with enough pepper varieties to create their ideal sauce.

     "We didn't want a really hot sauce," said Chris Andreas Jr. Nor did they want it to be tomato-based. "We didn't want to cover up the flavor of the oysters."

     They modeled it on a vinegar-based mignonette sauce, a traditional condiment for oysters before cocktail and hot sauces took over. Pleased with what they created, they took along the home-cooked samples when they went to seafood restaurants.

     When they shared them, "people kept saying we should make it commercially," said Andreas.

     In 2001 they decided to give it a try. They created Andreas Bros. Chile Pepper Co., but it got off to a slow start.

     Daunted by the state's regulations for commercial food production, they hired a manufacturer in another state to duplicate their recipe.

     "He would make samples in Florida and send them to us to test," said Andreas. "We would taste them and tell him how we wanted them changed."

     Eventually the collaboration bore fruit, and they began manufacturing the two sauces – hot and mild – using a South American variety of pepper they declined to name.

     "It's something we tried and liked, but it isn't grown here," said Chris Andreas.

     They still like to experiment with new versions of the sauce, and grow 20 to 30 varieties of peppers a year in their family greenhouse.

     The sauces they produce commercially have developed a sizable following of loyal fans since their debut around Christmas 2003.

     Brian Dougherty, executive chef at Blue Point Grille in Princeton Borough, carries it in the restaurant. Customers ask for it for their oysters, but its use isn't limited to seafood, he said.

     "It's good on steaks and french-fries," he said.

     The sauce is a requirement for the restaurant's annual Oyster Bowl, held each February to benefit charity.

     "It's the favorite condiment for Oyster Bowl contestants," he said.

     Dougherty was a volunteer tester for the Andreas brothers as they worked on their sauce.

     "They would bring me samples throughout the development process," he said, and he would offer opinions.

     Some fans of the sauce know the Andreas brothers for their displays of unusual chile peppers each August at the Flemington Fairgrounds in Flemington. Some of their peppers won prizes at the fair.

     Others discovered the sauce at Blue Point Grill or Diamond's Riverside in Ewing, where it is served with every platter of fresh oysters.

     It's also sold at Marrazzo's Thriftway markets in Ewing and Robbinsville, and Pennington

Market in Pennington. It also can be found at several stores at the Shore: Shipbottom Shellfish in Shipbottom, Mud City Crab Shack in Manahawkin and Pearl Street Market in Beach Haven.

     Trenton artist Robert Sakson painted the design for the label at Long Beach Island.

     The brothers recently got a boost when their product warranted a segment in the "Food Lovers Guide to New Jersey" by Peter Genovese (Globe Pequot, $14.95).

     Genovese culled thousands of suggestions for his book and chose Andreas Brothers sauce to appear under the "Made Here" category of favorite products.

     A Web site (www.abcpepperco.com) tells their story, offers recipes, and the sauces for sale.




The Andreas brothers created their sauces for oysters like these from Blue Point Grill in Princeton Borough. Their sauces also are used on other seafood, meats and french-fries and have a supporting role at Blue Point's annual Oyster Bowl.

Obviously the brothers won't share their secret sauce recipe, but here are three recipes from the Web site that use it as an ingredient:


Shredded Fish with Olives and Capers

This recipe is typical of the cooking on the Vera Cruz coast of Mexico. It is a good recipe for most whitefish, crabmeat or even canned tuna. It can be made ahead and refrigerated, but bring to room temperature before serving to fully appreciate the flavor.

– 1/4 cup olive oil
– 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
– 1/4 cup olives
– 1 tablespoon capers
– 1 cup poached fish (or one 6-ounce can tuna), flaked
– 3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
– 3/4 cup tomato, finely chopped
– 4 tablespoons Andreas Bros. Oyster and Seafood Sauce
– salt to taste
– fried tortillas

1. Heat the oil in a skillet or, preferably, a wok.
2. Add the onion and stir-fry about 5 seconds.
3. Add the fish and continue frying over high heat, stirring constantly, until fish starts to brown, about 20 seconds.
4. Add the chiles, olives, capers and tomato and continue frying and stirring until the mixture is almost dry, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Splash with Andreas Bros. Oyster and Seafood Sauce and add salt to taste. Stir lightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with crisp fried tortillas.


Shrimp - Andreas Brothers' Style

– 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
– 1 bottle Andreas Bros. Oyster and Seafood Sauce (hot or mild)

1. Put shrimp in a zip-lock bag and add 1 bottle hot OR mild Andreas Bros. Oyster and Seafood Sauce.
2. Seal bag tightly and shake to cover shrimp completely with sauce. Release air from bag, seal tightly and refrigerate for about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Lightly oil a pan large enough to hold the shrimp and all the marinade and heat to medium.
4. Empty contents of bag into pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until shrimp are pink and curled. Do not overcook.
5. Serve shrimp mixture poured over your favorite pasta or just pour into a bowl and eat with cocktail picks. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread to dip into the sauce.


Avocado Salsa – 2 plum tomatoes, diced
– 1 onion, finely chopped
– 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and finely diced
– 2 Serrano chiles, chopped
– 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
– 1 tablespoon oil
– 2 ounces Andreas Bros. Oyster and Seafood Sauce
– salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and blend lightly.
2. Serve with your favorite chips.