• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cook2eatwell
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Cuban Recipes
  • About Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Cuban Recipes
  • About Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipe Index
    • Cuban Recipes
    • About Us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Cuban Food

    Mojo Marinade

    Published: Apr 19, 2020 · Modified: Jun 5, 2021 by Elizabeth · 4 Comments

    • Share
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe
    Cuban Mojo Marinade Pin

    Mojo marinade (or mojo criollo) is a combination of citrus juice, garlic and oil. In Cuban cuisine it’s used to inject wonderful flavor to meat, usually pork and chicken. The holiday classic, Cuban roast pork starts with a lengthy soak in mojo marinade.

    Mojo in a jar set on a wood cutting board.

    This site contains affiliate links to products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Let me start by saying that just about every Cuban cook has their own recipe for mojo criollo. And yes, theirs is always the “best”. Having a mojo recipe is just as important as having a good sofrito recipe. Families take pride in their recipe, they get passed down from one generation to the next, with everyone putting their own spin on it.

    The ingredients for a Cuban mojo marinade can vary widely and include herbs, spices, even onions and peppers. While some ingredients can be different, at its essence a Cuban mojo contains fresh garlic, oil (usually olive oil or lard), and citrus juice. The traditional citrus used to make mojo is sour orange.

    A close up image of Cuban mojo with a bay leaf half-floating on top.

    What are sour oranges?

    Sour orange, also called bitter orange and Seville orange, is a type of orange with a rough, bumpy skin that produces a sour juice. The color ranges from orange to a pale-yellow with green streaks. The inside can be vibrant to dull orange in color, and they have a lot of seeds.

    Sour oranges are not eaten out of hand like sweet oranges. Instead, they are most commonly used to make marinades. Sour orange (or naranja agria in Spanish) is a prominent ingredient in the popular Cuban mojo marinade.

    Seven sour oranges on a wood cutting board.

    Finding sour oranges and substitutes

    During the latter part of the year (near Christmas time) many Latin markets will stock sour oranges. You can find them through-out the year too, but it’s hit or miss.

    If sour oranges are not available in your area you can make a rather good substitute by combining orange juice (fresh squeezed is best) and lime juice at a 2:1 ratio. Two parts orange juice to one part lime juice. So, for this mojo recipe it would be 1 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice and ½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice. Shake or stir well to combine.

    The last alternative to consider is bottled sour orange juice. It’s not actually made with sour oranges; the ingredients include grapefruit juice and/or other citrus. Even if it’s not the real thing, bottled sour orange juice will still get you that slightly sweet and sour taste you’re looking for. Sour orange juice can be found in the international section of larger grocery stores and online.

    Ingredients

    This is my family’s mojo recipe. We like to keep it simple around here, so other than the sour oranges you probably have most (or all) of these items in your pantry.

    • Garlic – We’ll use a whole head
    • Salt – The salt is used to season the mojo, but also to breakdown the garlic. It’s best to use a coarse salt like kosher salt or sea salt.
    • Sour Orange Juice – How many oranges to use will depend on how large and juicy they are. Figure on roughly 2½-3 pounds. We’ve used anywhere from 5 to 10 oranges in the past.
    • Oil – We stick with the traditional extra virgin olive oil
    • Herbs and spices – Dried oregano, cumin and a bay leaf all add flavor
    The ingredients for the mojo marinade before prepping, arranged on wood cutting board.

    You will also need:

    • Mortar and pestle to breakdown the garlic
    • Jar or container with a tight-fitting lid – to keep the mojo
    • Meat mallet to smash the garlic (or use the side of a large knife)
    • Mesh strainer to catch the sour orange seeds

    Instructions

    Juice the sour oranges. When you cut them in half, you’ll notice that they have a lot of seeds.

    A sour orange cut in half so the inside is exposed. It is set on a wood cutting board.

    Strain the juice through a mesh strainer to catch all the seeds.

    An image of sour orange being juiced on a green juicer. Underneath is an image of the juice being added to a glass measuring cup through a strainer.

    Peel and smash the garlic by separating the cloves and cutting off the tough end. Place the cloves on a cutting board and give each one a good whack with a meat mallet or the side of a large knife. Once you smash the garlic you can pick the peel right off.

    Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to a mortar and pestle. Work the garlic until you break it down into small, flat pieces.

    Two images of garlic being broken down. The top picture is a smashed clove on a wood cutting board and the bottom one is garlic in a mortar and pestle.

    Add the smashed garlic, sour orange juice, olive oil, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf to a bowl or jar. Stir or shake to combine well. Let the marinade sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, a few hours to overnight is better. Shake or stir well before using.

    Sour orange juice being added to a jar with spices and the garlic in it already.

    You may also like:

    • Ropa Vieja
    • Cuban Picadillo
    • Arroz con Pollo
    • Grilled Pork Chops with Mojo Marinade
    • Bistec de Palomilla
    Mojo in a jar set on a wood cutting board.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Mojo Marinade

    Mojo marinade (or mojo criollo) is a combination of citrus juice, garlic and oil. In Cuban cuisine it’s used to inject wonderful flavor to meat, usually pork and chicken.
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time0 mins
    Refrigerate at least1 hr
    Total Time1 hr 20 mins
    Course: marinade
    Cuisine: Cuban
    Keyword: marinade for meat
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 53kcal
    Author: Elizabeth

    Ingredients

    • 1½ cups Sour Orange Juice how many oranges to use will depend on how large and juicy they are (about 2½-3 pounds)
    • 1 Garlic Head peeled and smashed (about 10-12 large cloves)
    • 2½ teaspoons Coarse Salt divided (1 teaspoon to breakdown the garlic and 1½ teaspoon for the marinade) – we use kosher salt
    • 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    • 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
    • ¼ teaspoon Cumin
    • 1 Bay Leaf

    Instructions

    • You will also need: Mortar and pestle, Jar or container with a tight-fitting lid, Meat mallet to smash the garlic (or use the side of a large knife), Mesh strainer
    • Juice the sour oranges, strain to remove the seeds.
    • Peel and smash the garlic.
    • Add the smashed garlic and 1 teaspoon salt to a mortar and pestle. Work the garlic until you break it down into small, flat pieces.
    • Add the smashed garlic, sour orange juice, olive oil, oregano, cumin, 1½ teaspoon salt, and the bay leaf to a bowl or jar. Stir or shake to combine well.
    • Let the marinade sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, a couple of hours to overnight is better. Shake or stir well before using.

    Video

    Notes

    See “finding sour oranges and substitutes” section above for alternative sour orange juice suggestions

    Nutrition

    Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 727mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 99IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
    The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate.This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.

    More Cuban Food

    • Cuban Appetizers and Snacks
    • Quick Cuban Style Black Beans
    • Arroz con Huevo Frito
    • Cuban Coffee (Café Cubano)
    • Share

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. JONESCRUSHER

      January 29, 2023 at 6:33 pm

      The Goya food company sell mojo marinade in bottles. I’ve used it. It’s wonderful. Goya also sells the sour orange juice if you want to make it yourself. You can get both of them at Wal mart. Look in the foreign food area.

      Reply
    2. Maggie

      January 30, 2022 at 11:08 pm

      Love the recipe. Thank you.

      Reply
    3. Carole

      October 24, 2021 at 6:38 pm

      5 stars
      Since we have a large prolific Seville Orange tree & dont want to make a sweet marmalade, i made this recipe . It took 10-12 oranges to make 1 1/2 cups juice. Its marinating now in the refrigerator & already tastes delicious.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth

        October 24, 2021 at 7:34 pm

        Hi Carole,
        That’s amazing! I don’t have the room for a tree but grocery stores here in Miami carry sour oranges most of the time. Enjoy!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    aboutus

    Hi, I’m Elizabeth! welcome to Cook2eatwell. Food is my favorite subject; I like to cook food, talk about food, write about food, and most importantly, eat food. Lucky for me, my husband Eddie feels the same way. 

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Chicken Macaroni Salad
    • Seasoned Rice
    • Macaroni Salad
    • Corned Beef and Cabbage

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • About

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Cook2eatwell