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    Home » Recipes » Latin » Traditional Cuban Mojo Recipe (Cuban Citrus and Garlic Marinade)

    Published: Feb 6, 2013 · Modified: Jul 19, 2023 by Cari · This post may contain affiliate links. · 1 Comment

    Traditional Cuban Mojo Recipe (Cuban Citrus and Garlic Marinade)

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    This marinade is one of the pillars of Cuban cuisine. This marinade is filled with citrus, spices, tons of garlic and is wonderful on poultry, pork, beef and even fish!

    Cuban mojo marinade

    At the risk of being disowned, I recently shared my mom's recipe for Cuban mojo marinade with my friend Giovanny from Chat Chow TV. Since then, I've had several people ask for the recipe so in an attempt to make it easier on myself, I've decided to just post it on here.

    It has to be our little secret, because my mother does NOT need to know I posted her recipe on the internet! I may be an adult but lets face it, her chancleta knows no bounds.

    Why You'll love it?

    • If you're looking to add some Caribbean flare to your proteins, this marinade is bold and delicious.
    • This marinade is perfect for garlic lovers
    • Versatile marinade that is great on everything from beef, fish, pork and chicken.
    • This marinade has a long shelf life with upto 1 month in the refrigerator

    Ingredients Needed

    This traditional cuban mojo recipe is made of the following ingredients:

    • Sour oranges
    • Garlic
    • Bay leaves
    • Oregano
    • Onion powder
    • Cumin
    • Fresh ground black pepper
    • Sugar
    • Salt
    • Sazon Completo

    Instructions

    Using a liter sized container with a lid and a funnel, add all of the ingredients to the container.

    While squeezing in the sour oranges, either use a strainer or your hands to catch the seeds from the oranges.

    Once you've added all the ingredients to your container, tightly place the lid on the bottle and give the contents a good shake before using.

    cuban mojo marinade

    Storage

    This traditional cuban mojo recipe will keep in your refrigerator for upto 1 month in an airtight jar or container.

    I'm not a fan of freezing this mojo because it changes the flavor of the citrus.

    Tips

    Before using this marinade, be sure to give the container a vigorous shake. The garlic and spices will settle at the bottom of the jar after a few minutes.

    Tips on marinating

    For small cuts of meat, like thin steaks, chicken thighs and fish filets marinade for only 1-2 hours. This is a strong marinade that doesn't require a lot of time to permeate the meat.

    For larger cuts of meat such as pork shoulders, whole chickens and turkeys, I recommend marinating for 24-48 hours.

    Cuban mojo marinade

    What can you use traditional cuban mojo recipe on?

    This marinade is fantastic on chicken and even steak, but it’s best used for marinating pork. I use this Cuban mojo marinade to make my dad’s lechon during the holidays.

    This is also great with pollo a la plancha, vaca frita and bistec de palomilla.

    Substitutions

    If you don’t have access to sour oranges, you can use ⅔ orange juice and ⅓ lime juice.

    You can also run all of the garlic through a food processor instead of mincing by hand.

    Cuban mojo marinade

    Check out these other Cuban recipes

    • bistec de palomilla
      Bistec De Palomilla
    • cuban white rice
      Cuban White Rice
    • Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
      Cuban bistec de pollo a la plancha
    • arroz con pollo a la chorrera
      Arroz Con Pollo A La Chorrera Recipe
    Cuban mojo marinade
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Traditional Cuban Mojo Recipe

    Cuban marinade great for pork, chicken and steaks
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time15 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: cuban
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 42kcal
    Author: Cari

    Ingredients

    • The juice from 11-12 sour oranges
    • 4 minced heads of garlic yes heads! whole lot of garlic going on!
    • 4 bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon of Oregano
    • 1 tablespoon of onion powder
    • 1 tablespoon of Cumin
    • 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
    • Pinch of sugar
    • 3 teaspoon of salt
    • 1 tablespoon of Badia's Sazon Completo

    Instructions

    • Combine all ingredients and whisk together in a large bowl.
    • Using a funnel pour into a 1 liter bottle and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
    • It will be good for roughly 7-14 days in the refrigerator until you're ready to marinate your protein of choice.

    Video

    Notes

    If you don’t have access to sour oranges, you can use ⅔ orange juice and ⅓ lime juice. You can also run all of the garlic through a food processor instead of mincing by hand.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3498mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 3mg
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    Categories: Dips

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    Comments

    1. Thenedposts says

      December 16, 2021 at 10:36 pm

      This bottle appeals to us in so many ways!!!! Market it!!!

      Reply

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    My name is Cari and I'm the person behind FatgirlHedonist.com. I'm born and raised in Miami (Hialeah if you'd like specifics) and proud Latina. I'm a single mom to a very curious toddler. I completed a culinary program in high school that made my love of food blossom, but my career went in a very different direction. No matter what turns my life has taken, cooking, baking and eating have always been three of my favorite activities. I'm lucky enough that I can have this blog as an outlet for those three passions.

    More about me →

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