Canarian Mojo Rojo and Mojo Verde Recipe

Red and Green Mojo Sauces also known as Mojo Rojo and Mojo verde are the most popular sauces uses in Canary Islands. Mojo Rojo is a rich red coloured sauce made with red peppers, dry chillies, paprika, garlic, cumin, olive oil and vinegar. Mojo verde is made with green peppers, coriander leaves, cumin, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Red and Green Mojo is served with papas Arrugadas, grilled fish, meat and vegetables. 

Red and Green Mojo

While going through my Spanish cookbook collection, I came across this recipe for Papas Arrugadas with Mojo and was instantly intrigued. I had never tried making it before, so I decided to give it a go right away. And honestly, the result was so amazing!

Jump to:

• About Canary Island Mojo
• Ingredients
• Step by Step Pictures
• Expert Tips
• FAQ
• 📖 Get Recipe

Mojo is not completely new to me, though. I had already tried a chicken burger with mojo sauce before and absolutely loved it. So when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it and it turned out to be a total win. 

About Canary Island Mojo

The Canary Islands are a Spanish volcanic archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Africa. Canary Islands cuisine is a unique blend of Indigenous traditions, Spanish influences, and flavours from Africa and Latin America.

Some of the most popular dishes are Papas Arrugadas, Gofio, Sancocho Canario, Conejo en Salmorejo. Most of the dishes are served with red and green mojo sauces. I have tried few recipes like this Spanish omelette.

Mojo is the soul of canary island cuisine. It is an essential part of Canarian cuisine. The word mojo literally translates to sauces or condiments. Even though there are variety of variations of sauces made all over Canary island. But red and green mojo are super popular ones. 

Red and green mojo also called as mojo rojo and mojo verde are the iconic sauces served with potatoes, grilled chicken or grilled fish. Mojo Rojo, Mojo Verde are the two famous canary island sauces usually served with salt potatoes or wrinkled potatoes.

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Mojo Rojo - Mojo Picón - Red Mojo Sauce

Mojo rojo is the rich, red coloured sauce is also called as Mojo Picón or red mojo. It is a bolder sauce made with red bell peppers, dry red chillies especially guajillo chile, paprika, garlic, cumin, olive oil, vinegar.

Some people roast the red bell pepper before blending, but I kept it raw to preserve the colour and flavour. Amount of garlic, paprika and dry chilli totally depends to your taste.

The vinegar is used to give a tangy fresh taste also helps preserve the red colour in the sauce. Traditionally red wine vinegar is used but you can use any vinegar you have. 

Traditionally mojo rojo doesn't have bread or breadcrumbs. I like to add some breadcrumbs which creates a creamy textured mojo and give a thicker consistency. The sauce is super flavourful, rich and creamy. Without addition of breadcrumbs, the sauce will be slightly oily and grainy in texture. 

Mojo Verde - Green Mojo Sauce 

Mojo verde is a refreshing herbaceous sauce made with fresh cilantro or coriander leaves blended with garlic, green bell pepper, cumin, olive oil, vinegar. Along with these ingredients I added breadcrumbs too, traditionally some recipes use stale bread to create a creamy texture.

Traditionally green mojo uses coriander leaves, but you can also use fresh parsley. Compared to mojo rojo, green mojo is generally less spicy, more fresh and refreshing.

Mojo Verde is super popular than mojo rojo and is served with wrinkled potatoes, fish. It is best specially with grilled fish and seafood. 

Ingredients

For Red Mojo (Mojo Rojo) - The red sauce is made with a combination of red bell pepper, paprika, guajillo chile, cumin, garlic, olive oil, breadcrumbs, salt and vinegar.

For Green Mojo (Mojo Verde) - The green sauce is made with a combination of green bell pepper, coriander leaves, garlic, cumin seeds, olive oil, breadcrumbs, salt, and vinegar. 

Step by Step Pictures

For Red Mojo (Mojo Rojo)

1)Take all your ingredients needed for red mojo sauce. We are going to blend this in a blender.

• 1 Red Bell Pepper (Red Capsicum) chopped
• 2 Guajillo chile or Dry Red Chillies
• 6 Cloves Garlic peeled
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 tablespoon Breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoon Paprika
• 4 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• 11/2 teaspoon Salt or to taste
• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2)Start by soaking the Guajillo chile in hot water. Cut open the chilli, remove the seeds if needed. Break chillies into small pieces, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes.

3)Now take all the ingredients and the soaked chillies in a blender.

4)blend till creamy, and smooth.

5)Pour the sauce into an air tight container and store in fridge until ready to serve. 

For Green Mojo (Mojo Verde)

6)Take all the ingredients required for making green mojo.

• ½ Green Bell Pepper chopped
• 3 cups Coriander leaves (Cilantro)
• 6 cloves Garlic peeled
• 2 tablespoon Breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 3 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste

7)Now take all the ingredients in a blender.

8)Blend till creamy, and smooth.

9)Pour the sauce into an air tight container and store in fridge until ready to serve. 

10)Serve green and red mojo with wrinkled potatoes.

Expert Tips

• Green mojo and red mojo has green and red bell peppers as main base. You can use them raw or roasted while making the sauce.
• I had some Guajillo chile on hand, so I used it. But you can use any dry red chillies. 
• Garlic, cumin is used as flavouring in the sauce. You can add more or less to your taste.
• I used white vinegar in the sauce, traditionally red wine vinegar is used. Vinegar helps preserve the bright colour. 
• I used breadcrumbs, you can use a piece of bread instead of breadcrumbs to create creamy texture.
• I prefer to use a blender rather than a food processor which makes the sauce creamy. 
• The more olive oil you use, the longer the sauce is preserved. 

Storage and Serving

Mojo sauces can be stored in fridge upto a week. In Canarian cooking, mojo can be served with papas arrugadas, roasted potatoes, grilled fish, grilled chicken, and roasted vegetables. 

FAQ

Q: Are Mojo Rojo and Mojo Verde the Same Sauce?

Compared to mojo rojo, green mojo is generally less spicy, more fresh, herbaceous and refreshing while mojo rojo is bold, spicy, garlicky, bright and zingy. 

Q: What do you serve mojo sauces with?

In Canarian cooking, mojo can be served with papas arrugadas, potatoes, grilled fish, meat, and vegetables. 

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If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @aarthi198689@gmail.com and I'll help as soon as I can.

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