Mojo (sauce)

Mojo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmoxo], from Portuguese molho [ˈmoʎu], meaning "sauce") is the name, or abbreviated name, of several types of sauces, varying in spiciness, consisting primarily of olive oil, salt, water, local pepper varieties (called pimienta in the Canary Islands), garlic, paprika (called pimentón in Spain), cumin or coriander and other spices. Mojo originated in the Canary Islands, where the main varieties are red mojo (mojo rojo) and green mojo (mojo verde). Other countries have recipes similar to mojo, where acid ingredients such as vinegar, lemon, orange or lime juice may be used.

Green mojo, or mojo containing green spices, is commonly used for fish, specially the proper green mojo (made with green pepper) but also coriander mojo (mojo de cilantro) and parsley mojo (mojo de perejil). As coriander mojo and parsley mojo contain some water, they need to be kept in the fridge and have to be consumed within the two days after preparation.

Red mojo, made of small red peppers from La Palma (called pimienta picona) and paprika, is usually eaten with meat. Red and green mojo can be used interchangeably to season some dishes, prominently papas arrugadas con salsa mojo, or potatoes with mojo. Mojo is also commonly served with fresh bread rolls at the beginning of a meal.

To prepare red mojo it is necessary to dry the peppers. Once dry, peppers can be kept for a long time before preparation. Before making mojo, peppers are soaked in water so they lose their spiciness. Then, grains and fibers are removed but for a few that will make the mojo spicy. In the case of green mojo, spiciness will be regulated by the amount of garlic, and can be also intensified by adding ground coriander seeds.

...
Wikipedia