Recado rojo

{{Short description|Spice blend}}

File:Achiote paste ingredients.jpg

Recado is a culinary paste historically associated with Mayan cusine. It can have a variety of colors and flavors ranging from mild to spicy, sweet, or picant. It is most commonly found throughout the Yucatán and Belize.{{cite web |last1=Shaw |first1=Hank |title=Yucatecan Recado Negro |url=https://honest-food.net/recado-negro-recipe/ |website=honest-food |access-date=7 April 2023 |date=28 October 2021}}{{cite web |title=Recado Negro – Receta Maya |url=https://www.mexican-authentic-recipes.com/salsa_y_dips-recado_negro.html |website=mexican-authentic-recipes |access-date=7 April 2023 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Ponle Sabor a Tu Vida con los Recados de Yucatán |url=https://yucatantoday.com/ponle-sabor-a-tu-vida-con-los-recados-de-yucatan/ |website=Yucatan Today |access-date=7 April 2023 |language=es-ES |date=4 August 2021}}

It can be prepared in advance and conveniently used as a marinade or rub to flavor foods, especially meat, poultry, and seafood, that can then be grilled, baked, barbecued, or broiled. Recado is also an ingredient for a number of popular Latin dishes.{{Cite web|title=Achiote Paste Recipe {{!}} Bon Appetit|url=https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/achiote-paste|website=www.bonappetit.com|date=8 October 2015 |access-date=2020-05-01}}

Although often personalized, typical ingredients include annatto, oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, garlic, salt,{{cite book|last=McGee|first=Harold|title=On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen|year=2004|publisher=Scribner|location=New York, NY|isbn=0-684-80001-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKVCtH4AjwgC&q=Recado+rojo&pg=PA398|access-date=26 December 2011|page=398}}{{cite book|last=Bayless|first=Rick & Deann Groen|title=Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico|year=2007|publisher=William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-06-137326-8|pages=65–67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lCkXPPSrXXEC&q=Recado+rojo&pg=PT99|access-date=26 December 2011}}{{cite web |title=Recado negro o recado de chilmole |url=https://laroussecocina.mx/palabra/recado-negro-o-recado-de-chilmole/ |website=Larousse Cocina |access-date=7 April 2023 |language=es}} ground with liquids such as sour orange juice or vinegar into a paste.{{cite web |title=Sour Orange |url=https://www.rickbayless.com/ingredient/sour-orange/ |website=Rick Bayless |access-date=7 April 2023}}{{cite web |title=The Mystic World of Recados (Yucatecan Seasonings) |url=https://yucatantoday.com/en/blog/the-best-types-of-recado-in-yucatan |website=Yucatan Today |access-date=10 June 2025 |language=en-EN |date=1 March 2024}} It can even be added to masa (corn dough) to create a zesty flavor and color as in empanadas, red tamales, and chorizo.{{Cite web|title=Super Food Nerds: Make Your Own Chorizo|url=https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/devour/news/2014/04/homemade-chorizo-super-food-nerds|website=Cooking Channel|language=en|access-date=2020-05-01}}

While colorado (red) is most known, other common recados include negro (black) and verde (green). Additional variants include: recado blanco, recado mechado, and recado español.