Traditional Salvadorian Christmas Turkey Recipe Is Juicy & Tender by Bessy Van Hoek

I was born in El Salvador, and as long as I can remember, my parents, my brother and I always went to the house of my maternal grandmother to have delicious Salvadorian turkey. At the beginning of November, my grandpa used to buy a live turkey. He made sure to feed the turkey until it was time to kill it and cook it. We usually celebrate Christmas on December 24th. We arrived when all the delicious food was already made.

To make this traditional Salvadorian roasted turkey recipe you will need to grab the following ingredients from your fridge and pantry: a whole turkey, lemons for juicing, onion, celery, garlic, chicken broth, chicken bouillon, bottled strained tomatoes and relajo.

What is relajo? Chef Anthony Salguero told Bon Appetit that "Relajo is the foundation of so many Salvadoran dishes, but the spice mix varies depending on the dish or the cook. There are certain consistent elements – bay leaves, achiote, chiles, cumin seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds – and then more idiosyncratic additions like peanuts. It hits my palate like a Mexican mole and adds complexity to even simple dishes..."

Serve this juicy, tender baked turkey for Christmas or try it any time of the year for a delicious family dinner. A dinner that they'll talk about for quite a while! Serve the turkey with your favorite side dishes.

Cuisine: Salvadorian / Spanish
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 to 4 hours (ovens vary)
Total Time: 4 1/2 hours
Servings: 20

Ingredients

• 1 whole turkey (20 to 25 pounds)
• lemon juice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
• 48 ounces (2 bottles) strained tomatoes
• 2 bags relajo (see Recipe Notes)

Recipe Notes

• Relajo are spices to add to the liquid to make the Salvadoran sauce. You can buy the relajo (LA CANASTA Relajo Spice Mix) on Amazon.
  

• Let the turkey rest a bit before carving.

• Store any leftover turkey in an airtight container in the fridge.

Here is how to make it:

1. The day before Christmas, clean the turkey including the giblets with lemon juice. Dry it with paper towels. Put the turkey into a roasting pan that you are going to use to cook it in, and keep it in the fridge while you are making the sauce.
   
2. Turn the stove on to medium heat to roast the relajo. Just roast it for about 5 to 10 minutes. Make sure you don't burn it. Be careful as the sesame seeds are going to start jumping at you. When is done roasting, add it to the blender with the chopped onion, celery, garlic, a little bit of the chicken bouillon, chicken broth and the strained tomatoes. Strain the sauce using a colander. Taste it for seasoning. Make enough sauce to cover the turkey.
   
3. On the December 24th, I usually start cooking the turkey around 6 a.m. to make sure it is done on time. Turn on the oven to 300 degrees F. Pour the sauce over the turkey. The turkey is going to take about 3 to 4 hours to cook. The turkey is done when it reaches 165 degrees F internal temperature on a food thermometer.
   
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. Any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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