Cuban Mojo: The sauce that makes everything better
If there's one ingredient that defines Cuban cuisine above all else, it's mojo. Not Canarian mojo, not California mojo — Cuban mojo: garlic, sour orange, cumin, and olive oil. Simple, powerful, and absolutely indispensable.
What is Cuban mojo?
Cuban mojo is a marinade and sauce made from crushed raw garlic, sour orange juice, ground cumin, salt, and olive oil. Unlike other Latin American sauces, it has no tomato or chile — its flavor comes from garlic and citrus acidity.
The key: sour orange
Sour orange is not a regular orange with lemon added — it has its own aromatic profile, more floral and less acidic than lemon. In San Antonio you can find it at Latin markets like Mi Tierra or H-E-B.
Basic mojo recipe
- 8-10 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ cup sour orange juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Crush garlic with salt in a mortar until you have a paste.
- Mix with orange juice and cumin.
- Heat oil in a small saucepan until lightly smoking.
- Pour hot oil over garlic mixture. Careful — it will sizzle.
- Mix well and let rest 10 minutes before using.
At HOLALA we use it for...
In our menu, mojo appears in almost everything: drizzled over yuca, marinating the lechón, as a dipping sauce for tostones. Next time you visit the truck, ask us for extra mojo.