Premium Achiote Paste
Achiote Paste, or "Recado rojo," is a popular blend of spices usually associated with Mexican and Yucatan cuisine. Primarily consisting of the unique annatto seeds, the paste brings a deep red hue to the meat and vegetables that it is cooked alongside.
Suggested uses
Basic prep
Dilute 1 tablespoon of paste into 1/2 cup vinegar or sour orange juice.
Storage & handling
Store in cool, dry place.
Ingredients
Vinegar, annatto seed, spices, salt, garlic.
Achiote Paste, or "Recado rojo," is a pungent blend of spices typically associated with Mexican and Yucatan cuisine. Consisting primarily of annatto seeds, the paste imparts a deep red hue to meat and vegetables. The annatto seed, or "Bixa orellana," is the seed from the flowering fruit tree of the Bixaceae family. It is also known as the lipstick tree, providing these deeply pigmented seeds that are commonly used as a natural food dye.
Besides its coloring abilities, the paste imparts a peppery, vinegary flavor, making it ideal for rubbing on chicken, pork and seafood or adding to a mole sauce. While it is most commonly used in Latin American and Caribbean cuisine, it is also gaining popularity as a natural food coloring all over the globe.
Classic recipe
Yucatecan-Style Grilled Fish
Slightly peppery annatto seeds have been a fixture of Yucatan cuisine for thousands of years, where they are usually ground up to make achiote paste. In this recipe, our ready-made Achiote Paste makes for a convenient shortcut, while the addition of lime juice and orange juice brighten up the dish.
