“Relajo is the foundation of so many Salvadoran dishes, but the spice mix varies depending on the dish or the cook,” says chef Anthony Salguero of Popoca in Oakland. “There are certain consistent elements—bay leaves, achiote, chiles, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds—and then more idiosyncratic additions like peanuts. It hits my palate like a Mexican mole and adds complexity to even simple dishes like this quick sautéed shrimp.” Toasting and grinding the spices in this warming blend unlocks all of their flavor. This recipe yields a lot, but you won’t have any trouble finding other uses for it: When you’re sweating aromatics for a braise, stir in a couple spoonfuls of relajo, turn it into a rub for grilled meats, or add a few big pinches to freshly fried potatoes.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients
4
6
4
4
¼
¼
¼
3
2
2
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°. Scatter chiles, star anise, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, coriander seeds, oregano, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cacao nibs, cumin seeds, and achiote seeds on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and chiles are crisp, 18–22 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Transfer chile mixture to a blender and blend on high until finely ground, about 1 minute (be careful not to overprocess; you don’t want it to turn into a paste).
Step 3
Do ahead: Relajo can be made 1 month ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Leave a Review
Reviews (11)
Back to TopThe beautiful aroma of toasting aromatics, simply heaven. I can’t wait to use in my panes con pavo recipe.
Silvia D.
Naples, FL
1/4/2022
Delicious! I can think of so many uses for this. For those who bought fresh chiles, dried chiles often have a different name than their fresh counterpart. To get a Pasilla chile you need to dry a fresh, green Chilaca chile. Pasilla chiles are always dried.
DZ
Michigan
11/19/2020
You should specify DRIED pasilla chiles. I see someone else had the same issue. Kind of a drag after buying all those ingredients.
TM
Altadena, CA
11/8/2020
Let's also talk about raw pumpkin seeds. Do you mean raw from the pumpkin, or plain dried ones? Thanks
SB
Boise
11/6/2020
This is a truly amazing spice mixture. I substituted dried arbol chilies and cacao powder and it was perfect. Origionally made it for Pollo en Chicha which is truly amazing but now I cannot wait to use this with pulled pork en chicha and oh so many other dishes. Glad it made a lot.
Anonymous
South Carolina
10/18/2020
When I read through this recipe, I thought it was weird that the chiles would get crispy at 325 degrees for that short of a roasting time. Of course I used fresh chiles as the recipe didn't specify dried ones. Obviously, that is what was intended because the chiles NEVER got crispy, even after I separated them out from the rest and roasted them at 450 for 30 minutes. The flavor was good though. Please alter the recipe to reflect what kind of chiles should be used. Thank you!
Anonymous
USA
10/15/2020
I’m knee deep in this ‘relajo’ only to realize these probably should have been dried pasilla. WHY IS IT NOT IN THE RECIPE!?!?!? So now my relajo is going to be turned in to mole paste..
Anonymous
Mexico
10/4/2020