Fajita spice mix

[Amber Profile]

Does anybody have a good recipe for fajita spice mix please? I’ve tried googling, but they’re all so completely different .

[scullion Profile]

i don't have a particular recipe but i use, in various proportions. garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, a bit of chilli powder and a bit of stock powder (marigold).
i tend to taste as i go along but i suppose it'd be a roughly equal amount of the first three, a half amount of the marigold and as much of the chilli powder as your preference dictates.
hope that helps.

[Amber Profile]

Thank you, I have everything except garlic powder. It’s going to a fun experiment.

[Amber Profile]

It wasn’t a great success. For two, I used 2 heaped tsp smoked paprika, 1 heaped tsp cumin, 1/2 - 1 tsp chilli, 1/2 tsp coriander, and a pinch of oregano. The dry mix smelt lovely, but there was no taste. I’ll have to try again.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I don't know much about fajitas but do you think salt would have helped bring out the flavour?

[mistakened Profile]

I use a similar mix but with more cumin and dried oregano, I mix it with lime juice then marinate the chicken in the paste whilst I get everything else ready

[Seatallan Profile]

I use cumin, allspice, chilli powder, corriander powder, cinnamon and sometimes a wee bit of sumac (plus salt). I too use lime juice to make a paste.

[ZeroCook Profile]

.
No rules to fajita seasonings - everyone has their version. I would say, tho, that salt is definitely needed, as is a really fierce sizzle. And a pan of sizzled sliced red and green peppers and onions along with the best corn tortillas you can get your hands on, steamed and soft, guacamole and a fresh salsa like pico de gallo or Yucatan 'pickled' red onions.

Personally, not a fan of dried garlic and onion powder, prefer them fresh, minced/pulverised and added to the meat with the spices. I like a spice combo of whatever catches my fancy on the day, but usually includes mild chile powder or paprika as a base, chipotle powder or smoked paprika, a bit of cumin, black pepper, oregano. I like to marinate the meat first (even for a few minutes) in salt and a little lime juice or a bit of vinegar a little oil and the spices. For a more adovado flavour and colour I sometimes add some achiote powder. It should be quite a dry marinade so that the spices cling and can really sear and blacken in spots to bring out the flavour. Off the top of my head, for about 250- 300g of meat/fish/plant protein strips I use a good couple of tablespoons of paprika/mild chile powder, about a tablespoon of achiote if using and less paprika/chile, about 1/4 tsp salt, ditto black pepper, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, about 1/2 tsp cumin, same oregano, or more, to taste, about and enough lime juice or vinegar and a little oil to form a paste. Stir the strips into the paste. Marinate as wanted. Heat a frying pan on high, add some oil, add the meat strips, seriously sizzle without moving for a good several minutes before turning over with tongs, sizzle some more, then move around the pan to finish.

You can also use tajin seasoning as a spice mix either bought or diy - same group/palette of spices/flavours listed above with some lime zest and a pinch of raw sugar. Hot, sour, salty, spicy, pungent, aromatic.

[scullion Profile]

Personally, not a fan of dried garlic and onion powder

i think they have their place, especially as the request was for a spice mix rather than marinade or paste.
fresh isn't always the best and dried is particularly useful when a recipe that has asked for fresh garlic hasn't come up to the right level. a sprinkle of dried is effective without going through the hassle of re-preparing fresh to add in.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I never used to use dried garlic, but back in the BBC days had a long conversation with Random_Kitty, who was the first person I encountered who used it not as a cheat but with a purpose, and I concluded that, as with ginger, there is room for both fresh and dried

I don't bother with onion powder as every time I buy any it just sets like concrete, and I think garlic granules may be preferable to powder for that reason, but it's handy stuff

[Lusciouslush Profile]

I used to be a bit of a garlic powder snob - not for me & all that, until I started making dry rubs etc. - it's essential in a dry rub, which is somehow lacking without its earthiness. It's also useful mixed with flour to coat/ thicken food.

I don't bother with onion powder as every time I buy any it just sets like concrete

It just so happens I have a large unopened bag in just that state - solid - & have been wondering what to do with it - have thumped it a few times to no avail, doesn't even loosen, you'd have to take a chisel to it!

You can also use tajin seasoning as a spice mix

Just so happens I used a very heavy sprinkle of tajin over cubed feta in a salad last night - luverly

[KeenCook2 Profile]

I wouldn't say that I was a garlic powder v. fresh garlic snob, but I used to taste the difference between the powdered and the fresh when it was more ubiquitous, and not like it at all. Consequently I've never cooked with it, but I'm sure there is a time and a place for it

I've never bought onion powder so haven't had to contend with its brick-like tendencies

Tbh, I've had enough of that problem with various types of "soft" brown sugar

[ZeroCook Profile]

Agree KC2 - it's not a snob thing but rather a flavour thing. Having said that, there seem to be differing dried garlic flavours/processes as it were - some bought ones are not too bad at all, some are quite nasty imo. I use a wild garlic seasoning from a herb and seasoning outfit from a local market in SW France when I or family can get there - dried wild garlic with dried ordinary garlic flakes which is fantastic. Melange ail d'ours.

I'm thinking there must be different ways that garlic and onions are dried or processed commercially. I've made my own dried version of the French seasoning when I've run out and waiting for more, and the alliums, including sprouted garlic shoots and green onions chopped and minced dry very well at home. I buy dried wild garlic leaves online.

And, must be said, dried alliums don't burn the same way as fresh and lend their own flavour. There's a place for both.

Really into tajin Lush. Been DIY-ing, too. So easy, so good. Also making chamoy which uses tajin.

[Amber Profile]

Salt and pepper were added to the mix before cooking and also at the table. Fresh lime was also added at the table. I think next time I’ll double up on all the flavours .
(On the other hand, it may be just Covid taste buds )

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I did wonder about the knocked out tastebuds!

When I couldn’t taste anything people kept warning me not to compensate by adding salt, but if anything I found I used less or everything just tasted like sea water

[ZeroCook Profile]

Salt and pepper were added to the mix before cooking and also at the table. Fresh lime was also added at the table. I think next time I’ll double up on all the flavoursback to
(On the other hand, it may be just Covid taste buds )

Covid taste buds sounds really plausible, Amber, especially as it was recent so hoping that fixes itself soon. IIRC Stokey had a long road back to normal taste.

[Amyw Profile]

I’m not much help as like a lot of people tend to do it by eye . I use fresh garlic and onion in with the chicken and peppers . The spice mix for me usually includes chilli powder , or I use fresh chilled, smoked paprika and cumin . I sometimes use a bit of Aromat seasoning too .