Two days ago I put up my third batch of hot peppers to ferment for hot sauce. The first time was not hot enough, the second barely mild, but this time I think It might be way too hot.
The back story:
I ferment the peppers without the stem end and halved, together with garlic, yellow mustard seeds, and a 5% sea salt brine (by water weight, I think it amounts to somewhere between 2.5% and 3% salt by total weight vegs+water).
In the first batch I did mostly Peruvian yellow chili peppers which are between 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville heat units, and some Panamanian aji chombos which are like habaneros on the scale (150,000 to 350,000 heat units). I don't remember the proportions, but I'd say that about 25% aji chombos or less. The resulting sauce was hot but not super hot, but had a great flavor. I fermented this for I think a week, 10 days tops, as I live in warm weather and it was my first time. I think I fermented the peppers with the seeds but I'm not sure. I also don't remember if I took the seeds out after fermenting and used only the flesh for the sauce or if I blended up the whole thing and then strained the seeds out, or if it makes any difference. Not very helpful, I know.
Second time I did mostly as above, but I wanted to make the sauce hotter. So I increased the amount of aji chombos to probably over 30%, and this time I fermented them for 3 weeks. I do remember I removed the seeds and white membranes before fermenting this time. The resulting sauce was supposed to be considerably hotter than the first one but it was not hot at all. It was a very mild hot sauce.
Could removing the seeds cause such a big difference in the heat level? Was it only that, or does the longer fermentation time also have an effect on the heat?
In the third batch, which I made two days ago, I put 100% aji chombos, with the seeds, plus the garlic, mustard and brine as before. Now I am worried the sauce will be way too hot.
What can I do to make it milder?
Should I, once it is done fermenting, remove the seeds and white membranes and use only the flesh for the sauce? Or does fermentation make it so the heat is now all over the place and not concentrated on the membranes?
O will fermentation make it not that hot anymore?
Or should I put up a batch of some sweeter peppers to ferment and then combine them with the hot peppers when blending the sauce to the desired heat level? Is that ok to do? Mixing up two different batches of fermented peppers? Or any vegetable for that matter?
Thank you in advance for any insight or any tip you may have. Any general fermented hot sauce knowledge will be greatly appreciated.