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EveryMasala

Pastes and wet masalas

Recado rojo

The Yucatan red achiote paste with sour orange, allspice, cumin and garlic.

Recado rojo, or achiote paste, is a red seasoning paste of the Yucatan Peninsula and Belize. Ground annatto seed gives a brick-red colour and a mild, earthy flavour. It is the base of cochinita pibil, pork cooked in banana leaf.

What goes in

Annatto seed: 38%38%Cumin: 13%13%Allspice: 13%13%Garlic: 19%19%Oregano: 6%Black pepper: 6%Salt: 6%16parts

Parts by volume of the whole spice. The ring shows each part's share.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Ratios and timings differ from house to house; this is one traditional-style way.

  1. Step 1: Toast Toast the allspice, cumin, pepper and oregano lightly.
  2. Step 2: Grind Grind the annatto seeds as fine as possible, since the seeds are very hard.
  3. Step 3: Grind Grind the toasted spices.
  4. Step 4: Pound Pound with garlic and salt.
  5. Step 5: Blend Add sour orange juice or vinegar to a thick paste.
  6. Step 6: Rest Marinate pork overnight in the paste.
  7. Step 7: Store Store in the refrigerator.
  8. Annatto seed: 38%38%Cumin: 13%13%Allspice: 13%13%Garlic: 19%19%Oregano: 6%Black pepper: 6%Salt: 6%
    Finished Recado rojo, by share.

Recados

A recado is a seasoning paste. Other recados include black recado, made from charred chilli, and white recado. The red is the best known and is sold in blocks at markets.

Use

The paste is dissolved in sour orange juice or vinegar and used as a marinade. Its colour comes from annatto, which has been used in the region for food and for dye for a very long time.

Where it is used

Cochinita pibilPollo pibilTamalesGrilled fish

The spices in it

AnnattoAchiote.AllspiceWarm.CuminEarthy.Black pepperThe dried fruit of a climbing vine, the world's most traded spice.

More on EveryMasala

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Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryMasala desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are an illustrative, traditional-style ratio, not a standard: every family and maker blends differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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