Achiote paste – pasta de achiote – recado rojo
If there’s an ingredient that sums up many of the flavours that come out of the Yucatán, it has to be this.
Achiote paste.
It’s something I’ve been buying from my local Fiji Market for several years now, but now that they sell annatto seeds, the time came to make the paste myself.
Annatto is the main ingredient in this vibrant spice paste, giving it the rich red-orange colour and earthy flavour.
Ever wondered where the colour of American cheddar comes from? This small seed from the achiote tree. Not that all cheddars use annatto, mind you.
To make my paste, I simply looked at the ingredients list on the one that I used to buy, looked at more online, and then made one myself. And you know what? It tastes just like the one from the packet, just with a little more punch.
So what do you do with it?
Well, it’s a perfect spice paste to use as a dry rub, dissolved and used in a marinade for meats and seafood or thrown into sauces and bean stews.
It’s pretty versatile, really.
Recipes where I’ve used the paste
- Ecuadorian corviche
- Belizean stew chicken
- Belizean salbutes
- huaraches con carne cordero
- puerco pibil {slow roasted pork}
- achiote prawns with nasturtium pesto
- slow brisket, cornmeal crust & achiote spring onions
- mexican spice mix
- pork tamales with prickly pear & tequila salsa
| Servings |
cup
|
- ½ cup annatto seeds
- 1 tbsp white peppercorns
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp garlic flakes
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp pimento berries (allspice)
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 45 ml white wine vinegar (¼ cup)
- 60 ml water (¼ cup)
Ingredients
|
|
- Place the annatto, peppercorns, cumin, coriander, garlic, cloves, pimento and oregano into a spice grinder. Grind until powdered.
- Transfer to a bowl. Mix in the salt and nutmeg, then add the vinegar and water. Combine well, press into a plastic container or jar and store in the fridge. Alternatively, freeze it and you can break off what you need when the time comes!
