Sikil Pak is a traditional Maya salsa made from roasted pumpkin seeds, roasted tomatoes, roasted chile habanero, roasted onion, garlic and sour orange creating a rich, earthy flavor. Its origins trace back to the Yucatán Peninsula, where pumpkin seeds (pepitas) have been a dietary staple since pre-Hispanic times, valued for their nutrition and abundance. Today, Sikil Pak remains a beloved accompaniment to tortillas, vegetables, or grilled meats, symbolizing the deep agricultural and culinary heritage of the Maya people. In Yucatec Maya, “sikil” means pumpkin seed and “pak” means tomato — so Sikil Pak literally translates to “pumpkin seed and tomato”. It’s one of the oldest documented salsas of the Maya, and the name directly reflects its two core ingredients. This version of the recipe I have created creates an all encompassing approach by including the roasted pumpkin the recipe as well that provides some subtle sweetness to counter the heat of the habanero chile but also some earthy creaminess and body that is perfect for a Thanksgiving spread.
Active time: 50 min • Total time: 1 hour 40 min
1 quart
2 oz
16
• Kitchen Scale • Food Processor • Vitamix Blender or Similar • Zester
Ingredients
- 250 g pumpkin or winter squash (1/2 cup pureed)
- 100 g neutral oil, divided
- 500 g tomatillos
- 500 g roma tomatoes
- 30 g chile habañero (~4 peppers)
- 100 g white onion
- 30 g garlic
- 285g (2 cups) pepita seeds, divided
- 5g lime zest (from ~5 limes)
- 10 green onion tops, chiffonade
- 1 bunch cilantro, 25g (2/3 cup) minced
- ~ 1/2 cup sour orange juice, adjusted to taste
- Salt, to taste
- Olive oil or pumpkin seed oil (optional garnish)
Sourcing & Substitution Tips:
- For the pumpkin, you can use any variety that is not overly fibrous such as red kuri, delicata, butternut, kabocha, crown prince.
- Sour orange juice can be replaced with a mixture of lime, orange and grapefruit juice in a ratio of 1:2:1, so for this recipe: 1 oz lime juice, 2 oz orange juice, and 1 oz grapefruit juice.
Instructions
- Pumpkin Prep (5 min)
- Cut the squash into quarters. Scoop out the seeds and set aside for another use.
- From the flesh, measure out 250g to roast for this recipe; the remaining squash can be roasted off and refrigerated for another use.
- Roast & Blend Vegetables (1 hour)
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place pumpkin on a parchment lined sheet tray and roast until the flesh is very soft about 45 mins. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly then transfer to a blender with 25 g of the oil. Puree until smooth.
- While the pumpkin is in the oven, line a sheet tray with parchment paper and roast the tomatillos, tomatoes, habañero, onion and garlic also at 450°F until charred all over, about 30 mins. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Blend until smooth and then place in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by 50%.
- Make Pumpkin Seed Butter (15 min) Preheat a 12” saute pan over medium high heat with 75 g of neutral oil. Add the pumpkin seeds and roast in the pan until golden brown. They will begin to puff slightly. Do not let them get black by stirring constantly and shaking the pan. Immediately move them to the food processor and process until a pumpkin seed butter forms. This will take a little bit of time. The texture should be like chunky peanut butter.
- Chill Ingredients (15 min) Place the reduced salsa, the pumpkin/squash puree, and the pumpkin seed butter in the fridge to cool completely. While these components are chilling, you can zest limes, squeeze citrus, and chop the herbs.
- Assemble Salsa (5 min)
- In a mixing bowl, mix reduced salsa, pumpkin seed butter, and roasted pumpkin puree. Whisk to combine. Chef tip: I crafted this recipe so that you should have just about 500g reduced salsa, 300g pumpkin seed butter, and 150 g pumpkin puree. That’s the ratio I like.
- Add in the lime zest, cilantro, and green onion.
- Season with salt, and sour orange juice (or substitute).
- Serve Serve with toasted bread, crudités, totopos, tostadas or freshly cooked tortillas.
Chef Tip: If the blender does not move and gets stuck you can add a small amount of water to get it moving. One way to avoid that problem is to roast & puree the entire pumpkin, using a 1/2 cup for this recipe, and reserving the rest for another use.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
- Ideal Temp: This dip/salsa is best served chilled and garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, cilantro, and a drizzle of nice olive oil or pumpkin seed oil.
- Prep Ahead Optionality: The components of this salsa can all be done ahead as time permits and assembled later as none of it is sequential step critical.
- Storage Instructions: Store in the refrigerator covered and with the top of the dip lined with plastic wrap so it doesn’t oxidize.
- Best By date: This dish typically holds for a week before it starts fermenting but even after that point it’s still delicious.
- Surplus Ingredients (& ideas of what to make!)
- The seeds that you scoop out of the pumpkin can be cleaned from the pulp and baked off as a snack. I don’t use them for this recipe because I’m not able to get the same smooth consistency for the salsa as I can get with the store-bought pepitas.
- Excess roasted pumpkin can be used to make soups, fritters, or a pureed sauce. I especially love seared fish with pumpkin puree.
- If you want to make extra pumpkin seed butter - it’s great to spread on toast, or swirl into homemade ice cream before freezing it.
- The habañero salsa its own is also great — with chips, whisked into scrambled eggs, or anywhere else you’d use a salsa.
- Favorite Beverage Pairing, if any: Pairs well with wine, I also love serving with aqua frescas or N/A style cocktails.
- Complimentary Menu Ideas! This really compliments any meal progression both proteins and vegetables.
Did you make this?
Tag @centraltexasthanksgiving and @g_erales on Instagram!