Puerto Rican food lovers, rejoice! Illyanna Maisonet, the James Beard award–winning food writer and first Puerto Rican food columnist in the United States, collaborated with us on these personal, deeply flavorful Puerto Rican blends to bring the flavors of PR food to your home. Both blends are wonderfully versatile and based on family recipes, and the wild achiote in the Sazón is sourced directly from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico.
Both blends are salt-free.
Author photo credit: Ten Speed Press
Adobo
“Just like every family has their own way of making coquito and arroz con gandules, each family has a personal blend of adobo seasoning spices: turmeric for deep color, oregano for deep flavor and garlic for deep soul! Adobo seasoning has endless possibilities as an addition to dry rubs and wet marinades. Use it for roasted chicken, barbecue and grilled seafood.” -Illyanna
Ingredients: Garlic powder, black pepper, oregano buds, turmeric, cumin
"Sazón means identity, history, and comfort and creates the foundational flavor of Puerto Rican food. A savory, earthy blend based on garlic, cumin and achiote seeds, this sazón is made with wild achiote sourced directly from San Sebastián, Puerto Rico, and it brings tons of flavor without any MSG or salt. I use it on my pork shoulder roasts, moles and stews." -Illyanna
Illyanna is the first Puerto Rican food columnist in the country, and she's a classically trained cook. She has dedicated her career to documenting Puerto Rican recipes, including her family's, and preserving the Puerto Rican diaspora's disappearing foodways through rigorous, often bilingual research. She is a James Beard Award winner and her work has been featured in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Saveur, Eating Well, Food 52, SF Chronicle and The Takeaway podcast.