Your molcajete can do a lot more than salsa. Use it today for guacamole, a chile paste for marinating meat, a toasted spice rub, a garlic and lime paste for shrimp, chimichurri, chile lime salt for fruit, and as the bowl you serve in. Grab a cured molcajete, coarse salt and whatever is in your fridge, and start with recipe number one.
What you need before you cook in a molcajete
Three things make every recipe below come out right.
- A cured molcajete. A new stone has to be ground with rice and salt before the first salsa, or you get grit in your food. If yours is new, follow the rice, garlic and salt method first.
- Coarse salt. The grains work like sandpaper against the stone and turn garlic into a paste in seconds. Fine salt dissolves too fast.
- The right order. Always grind the hard and dry things first (garlic, salt, toasted chiles, seeds), then add the soft and wet things (tomatoes, avocado, lime). That way the paste stays even and nothing splashes.
Not sure your stone is real volcanic rock? Run the tests in real vs fake molcajete before you cook. A concrete copy wears into your food, and no recipe is worth that.
12 molcajete recipes, from salsas to marinades
The amounts fit an 8 inch molcajete like the Mexican molcajete. If you cook for a crowd, double them in a 10 inch stone.
1. Classic guacamole
Grind 1 clove of garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and 1 serrano until you have a paste. Add 2 ripe avocados and mash with the pestle, leaving some chunks. Fold in 2 tablespoons of chopped onion, 2 tablespoons of cilantro and the juice of half a lime. Serve in the stone. The full method, with the tricks for keeping it green, is in our molcajete guacamole guide.
2. Roasted red salsa (salsa roja tatemada)
Char 4 Roma tomatoes, 3 serranos and 1 unpeeled garlic clove on a dry comal or skillet until blistered and soft, about 10 minutes. Grind garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt first, then the chiles, then the tomatoes, one at a time. Leave it chunky. Step by step photos and a salsa verde are in our molcajete salsa recipe.
3. Raw salsa verde (salsa verde cruda)
No comal needed. Grind 1 garlic clove with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and 2 serranos. Add 8 husked and rinsed tomatillos, two at a time, and crush until saucy. Finish with a handful of chopped cilantro and 2 tablespoons of chopped onion. It is bright and tart, perfect over eggs and grilled chicken.
4. Chile de árbol salsa
Toast 15 dried chiles de árbol on a comal for 30 seconds per side until they smell nutty, not burnt. Soak them in hot water for 10 minutes. Grind 2 garlic cloves with 1 teaspoon of coarse salt, add the drained chiles and grind to a paste, then work in 2 charred Roma tomatoes. This one is hot. Start with 8 chiles if your family likes it mild.
5. Salsa macha
Toast 10 chiles de árbol, 2 guajillos (stems and seeds removed) and 3 garlic cloves in 1/2 cup of neutral oil over low heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Cool. Grind the chiles and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and 1/4 cup of roasted peanuts in the molcajete, then stir the oil back in. Spoon it over tacos, eggs and pizza. It keeps for weeks in the fridge.
6. Guajillo adobo for pork or chicken
Toast 4 guajillo and 2 ancho chiles, seeded, for 20 seconds per side and soak them in hot water for 15 minutes. Grind 3 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano. Add the drained chiles bit by bit and grind until smooth, loosening with 2 tablespoons of vinegar and a little soaking water. Rub 2 pounds of pork shoulder or chicken thighs and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
7. Achiote marinade, pibil style
Grind 2 tablespoons of achiote paste with 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of Mexican oregano. Work in 1/2 cup of orange juice and the juice of 2 limes until it looks like a thin red sauce. Marinate chicken or pork overnight, wrap in banana leaves if you have them, and roast low and slow.
8. Garlic and lime paste for shrimp and fish
This is the fastest seafood molcajete recipe you will make. Grind 3 garlic cloves with 1 teaspoon of coarse salt until creamy. Add 1 teaspoon of chile flakes or 1 crushed chile de árbol and the juice of 1 lime. Toss 1 pound of peeled shrimp in the paste, rest 15 minutes in the fridge, and sear in butter for 2 minutes per side.
9. Toasted spice rub for carne asada
Toast 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns on a dry comal until they pop. Grind them in the molcajete with 1 tablespoon of coarse salt, 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano and 1 teaspoon of ground chile. Store it in a jar and rub it on steak, chicken or roasted vegetables.
10. Chimichurri
Grind 3 garlic cloves with 1 teaspoon of coarse salt. Add 1 cup of chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of chopped oregano, a handful at a time, and crush until the herbs release their oil. Stir in 1/2 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of chile flakes. The stone bruises the herbs instead of chopping them, so the flavor is deeper than a blender version.
11. Chile lime salt for fruit and cucumbers
Toast 4 chiles de árbol and 1 guajillo, seeded, until crisp. Grind them to a powder with 3 tablespoons of coarse salt and the zest of 2 limes. Sprinkle it on mango, watermelon, jicama, cucumber or the rim of a glass. It keeps for a month in a closed jar.
12. Serve in the stone: molcajete mixto and queso fundido
The last recipe is a serving idea. Warm the molcajete by filling it with hot tap water for 5 minutes, then dry it. Pour in your roasted salsa, add grilled steak, chicken, chorizo, nopales, grilled onions and slices of panela cheese, and bring the whole stone to the table with warm tortillas. For queso fundido, melt Oaxaca cheese with chorizo in a skillet and pour it into the warm molcajete. The stone holds the heat and the meal keeps going. A 10 inch molcajete holds enough for the whole table.
How to care for your molcajete between recipes
Rinse it with hot water and scrub with a stiff brush right after you use it. Skip the soap: the porous stone soaks up flavors, and a cured molcajete only needs water and a brush. Let it dry upside down. If you grind strong things like achiote or chile de árbol, grind a spoonful of coarse salt afterward and rinse again to clear the color and the heat for the next recipe.
Marinades and salsas always go to the fridge, never the counter. Store them covered and refrigerate them within 2 hours of making them.
If your pestle cracks or gets lost, a replacement temolote in volcanic stone puts the molcajete back to work.
A little history of the molcajete
The word comes from Nahuatl: molcaxitl, from molli, salsa, and caxitl, bowl. The tool has been used for grinding ingredients and, above all, for making salsas, carved in stone or shaped in clay. The pestle is called tejolote or temolote depending on the family. The recipes above are the same jobs the molcajete has always done: crushing chiles, garlic and seeds so they release more flavor than a blade ever gets out of them.
Cook every recipe in real lava rock
Every molcajete and temolote here is handmade in Mexico from volcanic stone.
Free US shipping on orders over $35.
Frequently asked questions about molcajete recipes
Is a molcajete safe to use?
Yes, when it is real volcanic rock and it has been cured. A real molcajete has no glaze, paint or sealant, only stone. The grit you see in the first grindings of a new stone is loose rock dust, and curing with rice and salt removes it. After that, you only need to rinse and brush it.
Is a molcajete toxic?
Volcanic stone is not. The concern is with concrete copies sold as molcajetes: they wear down into your food and taste like cement. Check the pores, the weight and the rice test in our real vs fake guide. The molcajetes in our kitchen collection are real lava rock, never concrete.
How often should I season a molcajete?
Once, before the first use, with several rounds of rice until it comes out white. Repeat a short round if the stone sat unused for months or if you notice grit again. Daily cooking keeps it smooth on its own.
Can I make marinades and wet sauces in a molcajete?
Yes. Grind the dry ingredients and the garlic first, then add liquids a little at a time so nothing splashes. For a very smooth adobo you can finish in a blender, but the stone is enough for most families.
Can I heat a molcajete to serve food in it?
Do not put it in the oven or on a burner unless the maker says it is safe, and ours do not. Warm it with hot water, dry it, and pour in hot food. The stone keeps the heat long enough for a meal.
Sources