Mojo Rojo

The fiery red sauce of the Canary Islands: dried red peppers and garlic pounded with cumin, oregano, paprika, and vinegar into a rough, vivid paste, spooned over the islands' salt-crusted wrinkled potatoes and grilled meat and fish

Origin: Canary Islands, Spain

From the journey of Oregano.

Mojo is the defining sauce of the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic that was the last stepping-stone of Columbus's ships before they crossed to the Americas, and a meeting point of Spanish, African, and New World flavours. It comes in two great families: the green mojo verde, built on coriander or parsley, and the red mojo rojo (or mojo picón when made fiery), built on dried red peppers, garlic, cumin, paprika, and oregano. The oregano is one of its defining herbs, its Mediterranean pungency standing up to the garlic and the heat. Pounded traditionally in a mortar to a rough, rust-red paste loosened with oil and vinegar, mojo rojo is spooned over the islands' famous papas arrugadas (salt-wrinkled little potatoes) and served with grilled meat, fish, and bread. It is the taste of the Canaries, and a small monument to Spain's place on the oregano road between the Mediterranean and the Americas.

Ingredients

2 dried ñora or other mild dried red peppers, soaked and deseeded (or 2 tbsp sweet paprika)
1 dried hot chilli (such as a guindilla), to taste
5 cloves garlic
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón)
0.5 tsp flaky sea salt
3 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
120 ml extra virgin olive oil

Method

If using dried ñora peppers, soak them in hot water for 20 minutes, then scrape the soft flesh from the skins (or use paprika in their place).
In a mortar (or a small blender), pound the garlic with the salt to a paste. Add the cumin, oregano, paprika, the soaked pepper flesh, and the hot chilli, and pound to a rough, thick paste.
Work in the vinegar, then gradually beat in the olive oil until you have a loose, spoonable, rust-red sauce.
Taste and balance: more vinegar for sharpness, more chilli for heat, more salt to bring it together. Let it stand for 15 minutes for the flavours to marry.
Serve with papas arrugadas (salt-boiled wrinkled potatoes), grilled meat or fish, or bread.

Notes

Mojo rojo spans a range from mild to fiery (mojo picón); adjust the dried chilli to taste. The pairing of cumin, oregano, garlic, and pepper is the Canarian signature, and oregano is a defining note, not an afterthought. A green mojo verde, made the same way with coriander or parsley in place of the peppers, is the other half of the Canarian table. Both keep well and are good on almost anything grilled.

The Gastrographer

Name: Mojo Rojo
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Spain
Ingredients: 2 dried ñora or other mild dried red peppers, soaked and deseeded (or 2 tbsp sweet paprika); 1 dried hot chilli (such as a guindilla), to taste; 5 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp dried oregano; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón); 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt; 3 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar; 120 ml extra virgin olive oil

Mapping Culinary History

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control