Salvadoran alguashte is a versatile two-ingredient condiment made from pumpkin seeds and salt. It adds a deeply earthy, nutty flavor to everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to savory dishes.
Husk-on pepitas deliver a more complex flavor than shelled ones do.
Sifting the alguashte through a strainer removes any stubborn fibrous bits.
Alguashte is a seasoning popular in El Salvador made up of ground pumpkin seeds and used as a condiment for fresh-cut fruits like mangoes both ripened and green, jicama, oranges, and other tropical fruits and seeds. The aromatic, nutty ingredient is also used in savory Salvadoran dishes.
The pumpkin seeds used for alguashte are typically either from ayote or pepian, two different squash varieties (though some people use the terms interchangeably). Depending on where you shop, you may not be able to find pumpkin seeds labeled with the squash variety specifically, which is fine as long as the pumpkin seeds you buy still have the husk on—it’s the husk that, once toasted and ground with the inner seeds, brings a deeper and more complex flavor to what is otherwise a seemingly simple, two-ingredient condiment.
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole hull-on pumpkin seeds (1 1/2 ounces; 45g)
2 teaspoons kosher salt (8g)
