How to make your own homemade adobo for meat and seafood

Adobo: the best-kept secret of Mexican cooking

If we had to choose a single technique that defines Mexican cooking, it would be adobo. Before refrigerators existed, adobo was a method of preservation: a thick paste of dried chillies, vinegar, spices and herbs that protected meat from spoiling and gave it a deep, unmistakable flavour.

Today, adobo has transcended its practical function to become one of the pillars of Mexican flavour. From tacos al pastor to cochinita pibil, from red enchiladas to chicken in adobo, this preparation is the foundation of hundreds of dishes.

Anatomy of a Mexican adobo

Every Mexican adobo has four essential components:

1. Dried chillies: the backbone of the flavour. Each chilli brings a different profile: ancho (sweet, fruity), guajillo (tangy, earthy), pasilla (bitter, herbal), chipotle (smoky, spicy), morita (intensely smoky).
2. Acid: cider vinegar, sour-orange juice, or lime. The acid lightly “cooks” the surface of the meat and helps the flavours penetrate.
3. Spices: cumin, black pepper, clove, cinnamon, Mexican oregano. Each combination creates a distinct regional profile.
4. Aromatics: garlic, onion, tomato, and sometimes fruit such as prunes or plantain.

Universal red adobo (base recipe)

This is the adobo that works with practically any protein. It is the base you can modify according to use:

Ingredients:

• 4 ancho chillies (deveined and deseeded)
• 3 guajillo chillies (deveined and deseeded)
• 2 pasilla chillies (deveined and deseeded)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 of a white onion
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 4 black peppercorns
• 2 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 cm)
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Toast the chillies: on a comal or dry frying pan over a medium heat, toast the chillies for 30 seconds on each side. They should change colour slightly and release their aroma, but NOT burn (they turn bitter).
2. Rehydrate: submerge the toasted chillies in hot water for 20-30 minutes until soft.
3. Toast the spices: in the same comal, briefly toast the cumin, pepper, cloves and cinnamon (1 minute).
4. Char the aromatics: char the garlic and onion on the comal until they have black spots.
5. Blend: combine the drained chillies (reserve the water), the toasted spices, the garlic, onion, vinegar and salt. Blend to a smooth paste. Add soaking water if you need more liquid.
6. Strain (optional): for a finer texture, pass it through a sieve, pressing with a spoon.

This base adobo is enough to marinate roughly 1.5 kg of meat. It keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Adobo for pork (al pastor style)

The adobo for tacos al pastor has a secret: achiote and pineapple. This combination gives it that vibrant red colour and that slightly sweet flavour which distinguishes pastor from other adobos.

To the base adobo, add:

• 2 tablespoons of achiote paste (you will find it in Mexican shops)
• 1/2 cup of fresh pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika (if you do not have extra chipotle chilli)

Marinate the pork (preferably thin slices of leg or loin) for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. The acid of the pineapple tenderises the meat fibres while the achiote tints it that characteristic red.

Adobo for chicken

Chicken absorbs adobo quickly, so it needs less marinating time (2-4 hours). For chicken, reduce the amount of hot chillies and increase the sweet ones:

• 5 ancho chillies (sweeter)
• 2 guajillo chillies
• 1 chipotle chilli in adobo (tinned)
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• The juice of 1 orange

This adobo is perfect for roast chicken: marinate thighs or legs, roast at 190°C for 40-45 minutes. The result is a caramelised skin with a deep, complex flavour.

Adobo for seafood

Seafood requires a lighter adobo with more acid. The marinating time is crucial: never more than 30-45 minutes, since the acid can “cook” the seafood (as in a ceviche).

• 3 guajillo chillies (mild)
• 1 ancho chilli
• The juice of 3 limes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• Chopped fresh coriander

This adobo works spectacularly with griddled prawns, char-grilled octopus or baked fish. In the UK, try it with king prawns or monkfish: the contrast between the seafood and the Mexican flavours is extraordinary.

Smoky adobo (chipotle style)

For lovers of smoke, this adobo uses chipotles as the stars:

• 4-6 dried chipotle chillies (or tinned in adobo)
• 2 ancho chillies
• 2 roasted tomatoes
• 3 roasted garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon of grated piloncillo (or brown sugar)
• 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar

It is perfect for slow-roasted pork ribs: marinate the ribs, wrap them in foil and roast at 150°C for 3 hours. Then give them a blast of high heat (220°C) for 15 minutes to caramelise.

Tips for a perfect adobo

• Do not burn the chillies: a burnt chilli is bitter and beyond saving. Better under-toasted than over.
• Toast whole spices: ground spices burn quickly and lose their essential oils.
• Marinating time matters: pork and beef (4-24 hours), chicken (2-4 hours), seafood (15-45 minutes).
• Reserve extra adobo: never use the same adobo that touched raw meat as a sauce. Set a portion aside before marinating.
• The right consistency: it should be like a thick yoghurt. If it is too runny, it will not cling to the meat.

Where to find the ingredients in the UK

Mexican dried chillies are increasingly easy to find in the UK. Check our map of Mexican shops to find the nearest one. You can also buy dried chillies online or from specialist shops.

If you cannot find specific Mexican chillies, these are acceptable substitutions:

• Ancho chilli → Spanish ñora (similar in sweetness, less complex)
• Guajillo chilli → choricero chilli (similar in flavour)
• Chipotle chilli → smoked paprika (an approximation of the smokiness)

Homemade adobo is the gateway to deep Mexican cooking. Once you master this technique, you will understand why we Mexicans put chilli in everything: it is not for the heat, it is for the complexity of flavours it brings. Discover more techniques in our Mexican recipes.