Achiote + Annatto (Paste and Oil Recipes) (2024)

FAQs

How do you use achiote paste in oil? ›

The achiote oil, or achiotina can be used for sauteing or stove top cooking to give the dish a rich yellow/red color. This is what gives the yellow color to chorizo! You can also add it to fresh masa for flavor and color and press your own tortillas as I do for Yucatan-style Mexican tostadas.

How to Use Achiote Paste. To use your homemade achiote paste, rub the mixture onto chicken, pork, or fish and let it sit for 4 to 6 hours. You can also dilute it with water, broth, citrus juice, Worcestershire sauce, or vinegar and use it as a marinade. Cook or grill as usual.

With its earthy, sweet, spicy and smoky notes, achiote paste can be used in rice dishes, as a marinade or sauce, or as a rub for meat, chicken and fish. Though it may look potent, the taste of achiote paste can be surprisingly subtle. In fact, it's used as much for color as it is for flavor.

You can use something else to give you a red/orange color, but annatto seed is the main ingredient and main flavor in achiote paste, so if you replace it, you aren't making achiote paste - you are making a different, possibly tasty paste.

Del Mayab Achiote is prepared so that you only have to add some liquid to yield the desired results. Again, traditionally it is diluted with Naranja Agria (bitter orange juice) but lemon juice, water, oil or vinegar can be used.

Note: Olive oil can be used, but for a more annato-forward flavor, use a neutral oil like corn or canola.

Our annatto paste comes in 100g blocks, and as only a teaspoon or so is needed for a dish it will last quite a while. It is best kept airtight in the fridge after opening.

You can keep your finished achiote paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three months to use as and when you need it. You can purchase achiote in powdered and seed form.

The paste is dissolved in either lemon juice, water, oil, or vinegar, used as a marinade for meat, or rubbed directly upon it. The meat is then grilled, baked, barbecued, or broiled. Sometimes, it is added to corn dough to create a zesty flavor and color in empanadas and red tamales.

When stored in an airtight container, in a cool, dry, dark location, achiote powder can last up to three years. Keep achiote paste stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a few months.

Does annatto paste go bad? ›

Proper storage can keep your annatto tasting fresh for years. Both the seeds and ground annatto will keep a long time, up to 3 years, under proper storage. I keep mine in an airtight plastic container and store in my spice cabinet away from direct light. In general, annatto appears to be safe for most people .

Annatto—also known as achiote, atsuete, bija, or urucum—is a spice that plays two roles: It lends a vibrant red-orange hue to foods and also provides a sweet and mildly peppery flavor.

South American indigenous people have traditionally used annatto extracts from leaves, roots and seeds for medicinal purposes like treating diarrhea and asthma (Lauro and Francis 2000). The aril covering the seed is widely used to treat burns and bleeding, dysentery, gonorrhea, constipation and fever.

The golden-yellow oil is used to fry or marinade vegetables or meat. Which results in a bright orange surface. In Vietnam, batters are often prepared with annatto oil to achieve a more attractive color."

Achiote paste has a fairly mild flavor. It is earthy and nutty thanks to the array of spices and herbs that are incorporated in it. The heat level of Achiote paste can go up to 40K SV on the Scoville Scale. It also has peppery and sweet undertones.

Combine 1/2 tsp annatto powder with 2 tbsp of your preferred oil. Stir until annatto powder diluted well. Or, dissolved 1 tbsp of annatto powder to 1/4 cup water.