Undiscovered Ingredient: Goya Adobo Seasoning

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I don't usually buy pre-mixed seasonings. Typically I stick to my shelf of spices to come up with my own blends or just use them straight from the jar when a recipe calls for a certain spice or dried herb. But almost every household has its house seasoning -- a mix of salt, pepper and any of your favorite spices -- that you can use to season meat, poultry, fish and other dishes. In the past I've just used salt and pepper as my seasoning of choice, that is, until I discovered Goya Adobo Seasoning.

Based on the Puerto Rican adobo, which is a dry blend called seco and not the traditional Mexican marinade, Goya adobo blends salt, garlic, oregano, and black pepper. It's the classic Puerto Rican seasoning. Goya also has adobo seasoning that includes lemon, cumin, bitter orange, hot pepper, or saffron. It's meant to be used to season recipes whether they're Latin-style or not.

I'm not Latino, but I love Latin flavors. But I actually use Goya Adobo on everything, not just Latin dishes. It's great on steak, roast chicken, seared fish, and even sprinkled on vegetables. It was a surprise to me to discover that my mom had actually been using Goya Adobo for years -- I had just never known it because the bottle she used always seemed to be missing the label (maybe it was her way of keeping it secret)!

Goya Adobo has become my secret ingredient in everything I make, but it's no longer a secret because I'm sharing it with you. Instead of making my own house seasoning blend, I love to use Adobo.

What's your favorite cooking ingredient? Leave a comment below.

This article was in no way sponsored or influenced by the brand involved.