Caribbean

Cuban Mojo

No, it’s not pronounced mo-jo. Mojo (mo-ho) is Cuba’s barbecue sauce, a sort of cumin and fried garlic vinaigrette that’s splashed over every imaginable dish.

Cuban Mojo

Recipe Notes

Yield: Makes about 1½ cups

Ingredients

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 large cloves garlic, cut into paper-thin slices or finely chopped
⅔ cup fresh sour orange juice, or ½ cup fresh lime juice plus 3 tablespoons fresh regular orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Recipe Steps

Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and pale golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let the garlic brown too much or it will become bitter. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

Step 2: Stir the sour orange juice, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and ½ cup of water into the saucepan off the heat. Return the pan to the heat, let the sauce come to a rolling boil, and cook for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and/or pepper as necessary. Let the mojo cool to room temperature, then stir in the cilantro. Transfer the mojo to a jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid. Serve the mojo in the jar, shaking it well first.