Ingredient Guide

Where to Find Puerto Rican Ingredients on the Mainland

Q: What is recao called at the grocery store?

Recao is the Puerto Rican name for culantro (Eryngium foetidum). At Latin grocery stores it's sold as culantro or recao, usually in the produce section. At Asian and Indian markets it's sold as sawtooth coriander or ngo gai. Frozen recao is the easiest option nationwide.

Q: Can I substitute cilantro for recao?

Yes, as a last resort. Cilantro is milder than recao, so double the amount — use 1 cup of cilantro where the recipe calls for a bunch of recao. The flavor will be less pungent but still works in most Puerto Rican dishes.

Q: Where can I buy ají dulce peppers?

Ají dulce is sold frozen or jarred at most Latin grocery stores. It's a small, sweet, aromatic pepper that's hard to find fresh off the island. If you can't find it, a mix of cubanelle pepper and a pinch of Scotch bonnet (seedless) gets you close.

Q: What's the difference between sazón and adobo?

Sazón is a seasoned salt blend used to color and flavor rice, stews, and meats — it usually contains achiote (annatto), which gives it that orange color. Adobo is a simpler all-purpose seasoning of garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper used as a rub. Both are available in the Latin foods aisle of most supermarkets.

Q: Do regular supermarkets carry Puerto Rican ingredients?

Many do. Large chains stock the basics — plantains, sofrito, sazón, adobo, and pigeon peas — in the international or Latin foods aisle. For the harder-to-find items like fresh recao and ají dulce, a local bodega, Latin market, or Asian grocery store is your best bet.

Recao, ají dulce, sofrito, gandules, sazón — where to buy them, what to ask for, and the easy mainland swaps that keep your cocina boricua.

8 min read Mainland-tested

By Josh Ortiz·August 2026·8 min read

When I moved off the island, the hardest part wasn't the recipes — it was the ingredients. I'd walk into a mainland supermarket looking for recao and come out empty-handed. The good news: almost everything you need for authentic Puerto Rican cooking is available in the U.S. — you just have to know where to look and what to ask for. This guide covers every staple in the Ortiz kitchen, the stores that carry it, and the swap that works when you can't find it. Once your pantry is stocked, cooking traditional island flavors at home becomes as simple as cooking anywhere.

The Short Version

Start with three stops, and you'll have 90% of what you need:

Your local Latin grocery store or bodega — recao, sofrito, sazón, adobo, plantains, pigeon peas, and most canned goods.
An Asian or Indian market — fresh culantro (the same plant as recao), sold as sawtooth coriander, plus yuca and root vegetables.
Your regular supermarket's international aisle — the basics like adobo, sazón, and frozen plantains are more common than you'd think.

Ingredient-by-Ingredient Guide

Ingredient	What to ask for	Where to find it	Mainland swap
Recao (culantro)	"Culantro" or "sawtooth coriander"	Latin produce aisle (fresh or frozen), Asian/Indian markets	Double the cilantro
Ají dulce	"Ají dulce" (sweet pepper)	Frozen or jarred at Latin markets	Cubanelle pepper + a pinch of seedless Scotch bonnet
Sofrito / recaito	"Recaito" (tomato-free base)	Latin foods aisle, frozen or jarred	Make your own in 20 minutes
Sazón	"Sazón con achiote" (orange seasoning)	International aisle of most supermarkets	Paprika + garlic powder + cumin + oregano
Adobo	"Adobo" (garlic-oregano rub)	International aisle of most supermarkets	Garlic powder + oregano + black pepper + salt
Gandules (pigeon peas)	"Pigeon peas" or "gandules"	Canned or dry at Latin markets; some supermarkets	Black beans or chickpeas (different, but fine)
Plantains	"Green plantains" and "ripe plantains"	Produce section of most supermarkets	Ripe banana for sweet uses only
Yuca (cassava)	"Yuca" or "cassava"	Latin or Asian produce aisles	Potato or malanga (taro)
Guava paste	"Guava paste" (pasta de guayaba)	Latin foods aisle	Mango or papaya paste
Banana leaves	"Banana leaves"	Frozen at Latin or Asian markets	Parchment paper (pasteles still come out great)
Calabaza (West Indian pumpkin)	"Calabaza"	Latin produce aisle	Butternut squash

Where to Shop, Neighborhood by Neighborhood

Every major mainland city with a Caribbean community has a reliable source. A few patterns that hold everywhere:

New York, Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Houston — dedicated Puerto Rican and Dominican bodegas carry everything, including fresh recao and frozen ají dulce year-round.
Mexican-focused Latin markets — excellent for culantro, plantains, yuca, and guava paste. Just ask for "culantro" — they'll know it.
Asian and Indian grocers — the secret weapon for fresh recao (sawtooth coriander), Thai basil, and malanga.
Online — frozen sofrito, recao, and ají dulce ship nationwide from specialty retailers when you have no local option.
Your own garden — recao and ají dulce are surprisingly hardy. A single culantro plant on a sunny windowsill out-produces any store.

The Mainland Swaps Cheat Sheet

Recao missing? Use double cilantro, or fresh sawtooth coriander from the Asian market.
Ají dulce missing? Cubanelle pepper + a whisper of seedless Scotch bonnet.
No fresh sofrito? Jarred or frozen recaito from the Latin aisle — or make a 20-minute batch and freeze it in cubes.
No sazón? Mix paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano — that's what's inside the envelope anyway.
No gandules? Canned pigeon peas are the honest substitute; black beans are the easy one.

Every recipe in our cookbooks lists these swaps right on the card — so you're never stuck, whether you're a diaspora cook in a city with three bodegas or in a town with none.

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