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Mexican · Central American

Recado rojo (Yucatecan achiote paste)

Vegetarian

recado rojo

Annatto seeds ground with allspice, cumin, black pepper, cloves and oregano, then pounded with roasted garlic, salt and bitter-orange juice into a thick, brick-red paste. The marinade base for cochinita pibil and Yucatecan grilled meats.

Recado rojo (Yucatecan achiote paste) is a Mexican condiment from Mexico, ready in about 37 minutes and made with annatto (achiote) seeds / ground, allspice and garlic. It serves 11 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
12 min
Rest
10 min
Total
37 min
Serves
11
Level
Intermediate
Calories
—

Ingredients

11 tablespoons (about 15 g each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Roast the unpeeled garlic (opens in a new tab) on a dry comal or heavy pan over medium heat, turning, for 8–10 minutes until soft and blackened in spots. Cool and peel.

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    On the same comal over medium-low heat, lightly roast the allspice (opens in a new tab), cumin, peppercorns (opens in a new tab) and cloves (opens in a new tab) for 1–2 minutes until fragrant, adding the oregano (opens in a new tab) for the last 20 seconds. Do not roast the annatto — heat turns it bitter and dulls the colour.

  3. Step 3

    Cool the spices for 10 minutes. Grind the annatto seeds (opens in a new tab) in a spice grinder for 2–3 minutes — they are rock-hard and take longer than other spices — then add the roasted spices and grind to a fine powder. Sift and regrind any grit.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Pound or blend the garlic (opens in a new tab) with the salt to a paste, then work in the spice powder and the orange and lime juice (opens in a new tab) a little at a time until you have a thick, smooth paste like soft clay.

  5. Step 5

    Pack into a clean jar, smooth the top and cover tightly.

About this dish

Origin
Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico · Well documentedOne of the Yucatecan recados (seasoning pastes). Seville (bitter) orange is traditional; a mix of orange and lime juice is the common substitute used here.Also popular in Belize, GuatemalaMore food from Mexico
Dish
Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Toasted, Blended
Taste
earthy, tangy, garlicky, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Annatto (achiote) seeds / ground · Allspice · Garlic · Cumin seeds · Black peppercorns · Cloves
Techniques
Toasting · Spice roasting (dry-roasting) · Wet grinding · Dry grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

Nutrition not available for this recipe

Not enough data to calculate: Annatto (achiote) seeds / ground. We show nothing rather than a made-up number.

Good to know

Tips

  • If your grinder cannot break down the seeds, soak them overnight in the citrus juice and blend everything in a powerful blender.
  • Annatto stains hands, boards and plastic orange; use glass or stainless steel.

Common mistakes

  • Toasting the annatto seeds.
  • Leaving the paste gritty — sieve the powder before mixing.

Serve with

  • Cochinita pibil, pollo pibil, tikin xic (grilled fish), tacos al pastor marinade and Belizean stew chicken.

Food safety

  • Contains fresh garlic in acid — keep it refrigerated and use a clean spoon.

Storage

  • Covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks; freeze in tablespoon portions for 3 months.

Variations

  • Recado negro: A black paste of charred chillies with the same spices, for relleno negro.
  • Bought achiote block: Commercial blocks are firmer and saltier; loosen them with bitter-orange juice before using.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

About this masala

Type
Wet masala
Texture
Smooth paste
One batch makes
about 165 g
Keeps
about 2 weeks
Store
Covered, in the fridge
Recipe
Traditional

Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Makes Achiote paste, the ingredient our dish recipes list. All masalas

Used in

Amounts are each dish’s own quantity, for the servings it is written for. “Make enough” opens this recipe scaled for that dish.

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Garlic, about 6 unpeeled cloves; dry-roast on a comal until soft and blackened in spots, then peel25 g
  • Orange juice, raw, freshly squeezed60 ml · 62 g
  • Lime juice, raw, freshly squeezed30 ml · 31 g
Used in steps 1, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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