The Absolute Best Ways To Use Tajín That You've Probably Never Thought Of

It's hard to even think of Tajín without the insides of our cheeks filling up with saliva. The tangy chili-lime-salt powder was initially conceived in Mexico after Horacio Fernandez had the brilliant idea to turn his grandmother's chile sauce into a dry spice blend. Fernandez mostly used the mix for corn dishes, which makes sense, there is something magical about the creamy, acidic flavors of elote or Mexican street corn for the uninitiated.

With Tajín showing up in places like North American grocery stores — Trader Joe's even has its own Chile Lime blend — it's clear that Tajín has exploded in popularity beyond its humble roots in Central America. Traditionally, you can find Tajín added to fruit cups sold by Mexican vendors, sprinkled on top of elote, or in place of a salt rim for drinks like micheladas or margaritas. But with an increase in access, comes an increase in versatility. Let's dive into the absolute best (and, of course, delicious) uses for Tajín that you probably haven't thought of yet.

If you've learned how to master eggs Benedict, chances are you haven't thought about sprinkling a little Tajín on top. Hear us out. A solid serving of eggs Benedict requires a lot of ingredients to shine; your perfectly poached egg, toasted yet, fluffy muffins, and Canadian bacon are all crucial. However, the dish lives and dies by your French mother sauce: hollandaise.

Tajín is actually the perfect compliment to hollandaise because of the citrus elements. Hollandaise is typically flavored with egg yolks, butter, lemon, and a bit of salt and cayenne pepper. The chile-lime elements of the Tajín pair beautifully with the chili-lemon elements of the hollandaise. Additionally, the added acid cuts through the fat of the butter in a delightful way. A good rule of thumb when considering whether or not to experiment with Tajín is if the dish calls for lemon or lime (or would be improved by a hit of acid).

Tajín is not typically something you'd think of as a salad topper but it's a great hack for added flavor especially for Thai or taco salads — ones that come alive with a spritz of lime on top. For this recommendation, we're voyaging to Italy where caprese salad reigns supreme. Although caprese salad doesn't typically feature any lemon or lime, the drizzle of balsamic vinegar brings acid and is a worthy partner for Tajín. Caprese is all about simple ingredients and balance, so a little goes a long way.

If adding Tajín isn't enough of a twist for you, consider serving your caprese salad in avocados — not only is this a great way to add a little more heft to your salad, but the beautiful presentation is unbeatable. There's something about both being Central American exports that makes avocado and Tajín destined for each other. But even if you skipped the whole stuffed avocado part, the creaminess of the mozzarella is a great contrast for the tangy Tajín.

Making homemade roasted nuts sounds a little bit like a headache but it's actually quite easy and completely worth it. Buying raw nuts, roasting, and seasoning them yourself will give you a fresher, healthier twist on the store-bought roasted nuts. There are seemingly endless combinations of flavors for roasted nuts, but we really like adding — you guessed it — Tajín as a counterbalance to the fattiness of the nuts. Hot tip: When roasting nuts at home, coat your raw nuts in egg whites to get the Tajín to stick to the shell.

There is a lazier version of this recipe where you buy already roasted nuts — we recommend getting a mix with as little sodium as possible — spray them with some olive oil and sprinkle Tajín right on top. You'll get that salty-limey satisfying crunch, but roasting and seasoning yourself is much better. If you want to add more textures and flavors to your nuts consider adding some pretzels and Chex-like cereal for a tasty, homemade snack mix.

Instant ramen is the perfect blank canvas when it comes to experimenting with flavor combinations. It's cheap, easy to cook, and screaming to be adapted with new and inventive add-ons. Anyone who has subsisted on ramen knows that it comes with its own flavor packets, but there's no rule against adding your own seasoning. With Tajín, you don't have to completely reinvent the meal, you can just add some over your fully cooked noodles, and voilá, you have invented a new twist on ramen.

Tajín will complement just about any ramen flavor, but we're partial to the cheesy version. Yes, there is a cheese-flavored ramen. If cheese and ramen aren't your thing, consider adding Tajín to more subtle ramen flavors like shrimp or chicken. Ultimately, though, you can't really go wrong — unless you over-season. Ramen comes with sodium-rich flavor packets, so we recommend either using a partial amount of the seasoning or skipping it altogether when adding Tajín.

Jícama, also known as Mexican turnip, is another popular Tajín vessel. Its subtle flavor and watery crunch begs for a hit of lime. Cucumbers and Jícama share similar properties and are a lot easier to find at the grocery store. Next time you're looking for a quick and healthy snack, consider a cream cheese and cucumber sandwich with some Tajín sprinkled on top. It's basically the lazy version of our spicy cucumber tea sandwiches.

If cucumbers and cream cheese aren't your jam, consider trying Tajín on top of other favorite dips like sprinkled on top of hummus, cottage cheese, or a sour cream dip. Mixing the sweet-and-sour flavors with the tangy, creaminess of the dips will make for addicting bites. This is an especially helpful tip for those who see raw veggies as a necessary evil. With these flavors, your carrots will taste like Takis! Okay, maybe that's overselling it, but we promise the flavors will pack a punch.

Anyone who has been to or lived in Southern California has probably seen a fruit cart or two lining busy intersections. All of these vendors offer their fruits — a combination often including watermelon, jícama, mango, cucumber, and coconut — with chamoy (a sweeter, saucier chili-lime mixture) or Tajín. Adding Tajín to your popsicles or sorbet is a great way to replicate the authentic flavors of the fruit cart vendors on a hot summer day.

When trying out Tajín on your cold and creamy desserts, we recommend starting out with simpler flavors featuring the fruits the fruit cart vendors sell. If you add Tajín to an already flavorful dessert, you might overdo it on the citrus, so stick to the proven flavor combinations listed above. If you're feeling really adventurous, try adding a little Tajín to vanilla or chocolate-peanut butter ice cream for an unexpected flavor fusion.