the spice i used is called ACHIOTE spice.
it's made from the ground up seeds of the Annatto plant.
it's a old Mayan spice and the used it on fish,fowl,meat and vegetables.
if you GOOGLE it, you'll find online sites to purchase it, as well as recipe books.
one i looked at was La Perla spice company.
they have history of it and some good starter kits.
i compared it to "brown sugar" because it's sort of gooey because of the oil in the seeds.
it comes in "bricks"(like a lot of things from south of the border) ;D ;D ;D!!
you could probably could  get it from a good Mexican food store if there is one in your area?
i love HOT spicy food but in this case, it's only spicy!!
it's just adds a wonderful flavor to grilled fish and in the case of lake trout, turns the skin a crusty red color, sort of like the color of barbeque ribs!
the mexican girls at work tell me that you can use it to color and flavor just about anything!!
after tryin it, i'll make it a staple in the seasoning kit!!!

thank you very much!  Will have to try looking at a local mexican grocery store downtown to see if they stock it.  Might have to do some experimenting!

Cheers!

Always looking for a new spice to try.  I ordered some online can't wait to try it.

i hope you find it as wonderful as i did!!!
i told my "mexican" girls at work about the interest that had been expressed in the "SPECIAL RED SPICE".
they laughed and said that they would make a "mexican" out of this "gringo" yet ;D ;D ;D!!!
it's kind of a inside joke because one of the gals was born in mexico and came to mich via texas.
she's a gourmet cook and is alway's bringing me authentic mexican dishes to try along with some fiery peppers!!!
i can handle HOT, so she's made me an honorary "MEXICAN" ;D
the other gal was born and raised in Wisconsin and thinks
Taco Bell is hot!!!
 we give her a lot of grief over her whitebread bratwurst and beer taste's!!!
i brought some brats to work that had jalapeno peppers in them and she almost killed me ;D ;D!!!!
let me know how you like the Achiote spice??

Thanks for the idea, St.  Bought some and nosed around the web for some recipes.  Found several suggestions to combine achiote with ground coriander seeds in about equal quantities.  I like it a lot.

I made a rub for a pork tenderloin with pretty much equal parts of achiote, allspice, coriander, fennel seed and black pepper.  Rubbed, let it sit for a few hours, and broiled it 10 minutes a side.  It was a big hit.

i'm a big fan of dry rubs for any kind of meat!!
your concotion sounds good, will add to my recipe collection!!
glad you liked the "special red spice" ;D ;D ;D!