Achiote paste
Used in 2 recipes on RecipeWiki.
Achiote paste is a brick-red seasoning from the Yucatán, made from ground annatto seeds blended with spices such as cumin, oregano, black pepper and garlic, and loosened with vinegar or bitter orange juice. The flavour is earthy, gently peppery and faintly bitter rather than hot, and its main gift is colour: a deep orange that soaks into meat and stains everything it touches, chopping boards and fingers included. Here it is dissolved in citrus to marinate the pork for Cochinita Pibil, and it gives Tacos al Pastor their red edge. The paste is firm, so crumble it into the liquid and mash until smooth before the meat goes in.
Most often cooked with
Corn tortilla
Garlic
Lime
Onion
Pork shoulderRecipes with achiote paste
Cochinita Pibil
Pork buried in achiote and sour orange, slow-roasted in banana leaf until it falls apart. A Yucatecan dish that asks for one shopping trip and then leaves you alone.
Mexican
Dinner
Pork
Tacos al Pastor
Chilli-and-pineapple marinated pork, grilled hard and served in small tortillas with onion, coriander and more pineapple.
