Recado rojo is a Yucatecan paste of ground annatto seeds, spices, garlic and sour orange juice. It colours and seasons cochinita pibil and other dishes of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula.
What it is¶
In Yucatecan cooking a recado is a seasoning paste, and recado rojo — also sold as achiote paste — is the red one. It is made by grinding hard annatto (achiote) seeds with allspice, black pepper, cumin, cloves, Mexican oregano, salt and garlic, then moistening the mixture with the juice of sour (Seville) oranges or vinegar. Rubbed over meat or fish, it gives a deep brick-red colour, an earthy, slightly peppery flavour and a sour, citrus tang.
Its most famous use is cochinita pibil, pork marinated in recado rojo, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked, originally in a pib or earth oven.
Origins¶
Annatto is native to tropical America and was used by the Maya and other peoples as a colouring and flavouring long before the Spanish conquest; pib cooking in pits lined with hot stones is also pre-Hispanic. The spices in modern recado — cumin, cloves, black pepper — and the sour orange came with the Spanish, while allspice is native to the region. Recado rojo is therefore a characteristic colonial-era fusion, and the Yucatán's relative isolation from central Mexico until the twentieth century preserved a distinct cuisine built on recados.
Commercial blocks of achiote paste, pressed and wrapped, are now sold throughout Mexico and abroad, and are what most cooks outside the Yucatán use.
What goes in it¶
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Annatto seeds | Colour; a mild, earthy, faintly peppery flavour |
| Allspice | Warm, clove-like; a Yucatecan signature |
| Black pepper | Pungency |
| Cumin | Earthy depth |
| Cloves and sometimes cinnamon | Background warmth |
| Mexican oregano | Herbal, citrusy (a different plant from Mediterranean oregano, Lippia graveolens) |
| Garlic | Savoury base; often charred first |
| Sour orange juice or vinegar | Acid to tenderise and bind |
| Salt | Seasoning |
Flavour¶
Earthy, sour and warmly spiced rather than hot, with a faint bitterness from the annatto and a clean citrus sharpness. The colour is far more dramatic than the flavour: annatto itself is mild, and the character of cochinita comes from the balance of spice, acid and slow-cooked pork. Chilli heat is added at the table, usually from habanero salsa.
How to use it¶
- Cochinita pibil: pork shoulder marinated overnight in recado rojo and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted, then shredded and served in tortillas with pickled red onions and habanero salsa.
- Pollo pibil: the same with chicken.
- Tikin xic: whole fish, split and marinated in achiote, grilled in banana leaf.
- Tacos al pastor: many cooks outside Yucatán add a little achiote paste to the pork marinade for colour.
- Rice and beans: a teaspoon for colour and flavour.
Making it at home¶
About 150 g paste (enough for 1.5 kg pork) · 20 minutes, plus overnight soaking
You need
- 4 tbsp annatto (achiote) seeds (about 40 g)
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 cloves
- 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano (or ordinary dried oregano)
- 1½ tsp salt
- 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 120 ml sour orange juice, or 80 ml orange juice mixed with 40 ml lime juice or cider vinegar
Method
- Annatto seeds are very hard. Soak them overnight in the citrus juice, or grind them dry in a powerful electric spice grinder.
- Grind the allspice, peppercorns, cumin and cloves to a fine powder with the oregano.
- Char the garlic in a dry pan until blackened in patches and soft, then peel.
- Blend the soaked annatto seeds and juice (or the ground annatto and juice) with the spices, salt and garlic to a thick, smooth paste. Sieve if gritty.
- Use at once, or refrigerate.
Variations¶
- Recado negro (chilmole): a black paste made from chillies charred until black, with spices; used for relleno negro, a turkey stew.
- Recado de bistec (recado de todo uso): a black-pepper, garlic and oregano paste for steak and general use, without annatto.
- Recado blanco / de puchero: pepper, garlic and oregano, for soups and stews.
- Commercial achiote paste: a firm block, dissolved in sour orange or vinegar before use; convenient and consistent.
Buying and storing¶
Commercial achiote paste keeps for months in the fridge, wrapped tightly; it contains little moisture and plenty of salt and acid. Homemade recado ground dry with the spices and just enough juice to bind keeps several weeks refrigerated. Once thinned with plenty of fresh juice and garlic as a marinade, use it within a week. Annatto stains everything — boards, hands and plastic tubs — a persistent orange.