Recado de Escabeche Yucateco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy cast iron comal or skillet for charring and toasting
• •Spice grinder or volcanic stone molcajete
• •Small clean glass jar with tight lid for storage
• •Flat metal spatula for pressing chiles on the comal

Instructions

1. 1

   Char the garlic on the comal

   Heat a dry cast iron comal over medium heat. Place the whole heads of garlic on the comal, unpeeled. Turn them every few minutes for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the papery skins are blackened in patches and the cloves inside have gone soft and faintly sweet. This char is not optional. The blackened, almost burnt edge of the garlic is what gives the recado its smoky bottom note and what makes a Valladolid escabeche taste like Valladolid. Without it, you have a spice mix. With it, you have recado de escabeche.

   Do not peel the garlic first. The skin protects the cloves from burning while the outside blackens. You peel the cloves after they cool.
2. 2

   Toast the chile xcatic

   Push the garlic to one side of the comal. Add the dried xcatic chiles to the hot surface. Toast each side for about 20 seconds, pressing them flat with a spatula. They should puff slightly and turn a deeper amber. The xcatic is a pale, slim Yucatecan chile that brings warmth without the heat of the habanero. Burned chile is bitter chile. Pull them the moment they smell toasty.

3. 3

   Toast the whole spices

   Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the peppercorns, allspice, cloves, broken cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds to the comal in a single layer. Toast them for about two minutes, shaking the comal constantly so nothing scorches. You will hear the peppercorns crack and smell the allspice and clove bloom into the kitchen. That smell is the whole point of this recado. Pull the spices off the heat immediately and spread them on a plate to stop the cooking. Add the bay leaves and dried oregano to the residual heat of the comal for ten seconds only, then add to the plate.

   The peppercorns dominate this recado on purpose. Escabeche oriental is a peppery dish. If you reduce the peppercorns because you are scared of black pepper, you have not made recado de escabeche. You have made something else.
4. 4

   Grind the spices to a fine powder

   Once the toasted spices are completely cool, transfer them to a spice grinder or molcajete. Grind them to a fine powder. If you use a molcajete, work in batches and grind in patient circles, not quick mashes. The recado is ground, not blended into a smoothie. You want a dry, fragrant powder, dark with pepper and warm with clove and cinnamon.

5. 5

   Peel the charred garlic and combine

   Peel the cooled charred garlic, discarding the blackened skins. The cloves inside should be soft, golden, and smoky. Add the garlic to the molcajete along with the toasted xcatic chiles, the salt, the naranja agria, and the vinegar. Grind everything into a thick, dark paste. The paste should hold its shape on a spoon and smell sharp with pepper, sweet with allspice, and faintly smoky from the charred garlic.

   Naranja agria is not lime. It has its own bitter, floral acidity that defines Yucatecan cooking. If you cannot find it, the orange-lime-vinegar substitution gets you close but you will lose the floral note. Try to find sour orange at a Caribbean or Latin market before you compromise.
6. 6

   Rest the recado

   Scrape the recado into a small clean glass jar. Press it down so there are no air pockets and smooth the top. Let it rest at room temperature for at least one hour before using, or refrigerate for up to one month. The flavors marry as it sits. A fresh recado tastes sharp. A rested recado tastes whole. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy whole spices, never pre-ground. The peppercorns, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon all lose half their flavor within weeks of being ground. If your spice cabinet has jars more than a year old, this recipe will not save them. Start with fresh whole spices from a serious source.
• •True Mexican cinnamon, canela de Ceylan, is soft, papery, and crumbles easily between your fingers. The hard, dense cinnamon sticks sold in most American supermarkets are cassia, a different bark with a harsher flavor. Cassia will not give you the warm, almost sweet note that belongs in this recado. Find canela at a Mexican market or a serious spice shop.
• •Yucatecan oregano is a different plant from Mediterranean oregano, more floral and slightly anise-like. If you can find it labeled 'oregano yucateco,' use it. Mexican oregano from the central states is a reasonable second choice. Italian or Greek oregano is wrong for this recado.
• •The recado keeps for up to one month in the refrigerator and freezes well for three months. Make a double batch. Future you will be grateful when you decide on a Tuesday afternoon that you want pollo en escabeche for dinner.

Advance Preparation

• •The recado must rest at least one hour before use and is at its best after 24 hours of refrigeration, when the flavors have married.
• •Stored in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator with a thin film of oil on top to seal it, the recado keeps for up to one month.
• •The recado can be frozen in tablespoon-sized portions for up to three months. Freeze in an ice cube tray, then transfer to a sealed bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 25g)