I've bought a lot of smoked paprika over the years, different brands, different price points, and none of it prepared me for Rancho Gordo's Castillo Spanish Pimentón. This one is more complex than any paprika I've ever tried. It's not just smoky. There's a bittersweet depth to it that regular paprika doesn't come close to, and it shows up every time I cook with it.
Where It Comes From
This pimentón is made in Extremadura, Spain, from a blend of Jaranda and Bola peppers that are grown and smoked there. Rancho Gordo notes that Extremadura is the only region allowed to carry the Designation of Protected Origin for this style of smoked paprika, which tells you the process behind it isn't something that gets replicated the same way elsewhere. There's also a strange bit of crossover history tied to the region. Extremadura was home to Hernán Cortés, so a spice with roots in Spain ends up looped back into Mexican history in a roundabout way, which fits right in with how much Rancho Gordo leans into that connection between Spain, Mexico, and the Americas.
Where It's Earned Its Spot
Every time I add this to something, I get compliments from my husband, and that alone tells you it's doing real work in a dish. I've used it in chili, stirred into beans, worked into other Mexican dishes, rubbed on chicken, tossed with potatoes. It pairs with everything I've tried it with so far. The smokiness is there, front and center, but it never tips into overpowering the way some smoked paprikas do.
My latest experiment with it might be the best one yet. I rubbed it into salmon along with Jacobsen sea salt, gave it a drizzle of garlic oil, and air fried it. It was maybe the best salmon accompaniment I've found in a long time. Simple, but the pimentón did all the heavy lifting.
At this point it's a permanent pantry item for me. If you've been sticking with the grocery store paprika, this is worth the upgrade.
