Sazón is a type of seasoned salt used heavily in Puerto Rican recipes. In its simplest form, it is a blend of salt, garlic and onion powders, cumin, coriander, oregano and usually features annatto, which gives it its orange color. You can also find versions with the additions of cilantro, black pepper, saffron or tomato. The most popular brand of sazón on the island without question is Goya. While I’m a huge fan of most Goya products, they use MSG in their sazón so I prefer to make my own. It only takes a few minutes to have one of the most distinct flavors of Puerto Rico at your fingertips.

Though traditional sazón is made with salt, I don’t include it in my recipe. I prefer to add salt to my dishes to taste. Also since I use sazón almost daily I make it by the cupful. If you will only be using it occasionally I suggest cutting the ingredient amounts in half.

Tools

  • spice grinder or small blender (I use a Magic Bullet)
  • fine mesh strainer
  • air-tight glass container

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup annatto seeds
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground coriander
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons dried cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper

Directions

  1. Blend the annatto seeds to a fine powder. Sift them through a fine mesh strainer and process the remnants that were too big to make it through until they are also a fine powder.
  2. Add the annatto powder back into the blender jar and add the rest of the spices. Blend until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.

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