Puerto Rican food deserves to be up there with the greats. Puerto Rico is a part of America and its food should be enjoyed all across it. One of the things that makes Puerto Rican food so delicious is sazon seasoning. What is sazon seasoning? What is in sazon seasoning? What is sazon seasoning used for? Let’s see what we can learn about sazon!
What is sazon seasoning?
Sazon seasoning is a part of the big three: sazon, sofrito, and adobo. The Spanish word “sazon” translates to season. So sazon seasoning is season seasoning. It is the backbone of so many Puerto Rican dishes.
Sazon has a striking balance of rich and tangy flavors. It has a bright red-orange hue that colors every food it touches. With its bright color, you may expect it to pack some heat, but sazon is not spicy at all. Probably the most popular method of infusing home-cooked meals with sazon is with a premade seasoning or flavor packet. You can find Goya sazon in almost any grocery store. These premade sazon seasonings usually contain delicious MSG, and they can be pretty high in sodium. So a lot of people opt to make their sazon at home.
What is in sazon seasoning?
Sazon seasoning can differ from recipe to recipe, but a classic sazon usually contains achiote (aka annatto, which gives the seasoning its color), garlic, salt, cumin, black pepper, coriander, and oregano. Some folks also use turmeric and, of course, MSG.
How to make sazon seasoning?
It’s pretty easy to make your own sazon at home! Take half to one tablespoon each of achiote, garlic, salt, cumin, black pepper, coriander, and oregano and mix them together. If you want to get fancy, you can crush your own spices with a mortar and pestle. Grind that stuff up yourself, put it on Instagram and call yourself a chef.
What is sazon seasoning used for?
Once you’ve made or bought your sazon seasoning, how do you use it? Put it on everything! (Okay, maybe not strawberry yogurt.) A sprinkle of sazon can liven up a soup or stew. It can kick up your rice and give it that nice orange color. Throw it in some beans and make those suckers delicious. Sazon can be used as a dry rub on fish, chicken, pork, or steaks before grilling. You can even use it on your face as blush! I’m not allowed to touch my mom’s sazon anymore.
