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Guacamayas
León's crusty bolillo stuffed with pork crackling, pico de gallo and hot salsa
Guacamayas are León's street snack, sold from carts outside schools and in the city centre of this Guanajuato town from the afternoon on. A crusty bolillo is split and stuffed with crisp pork chicharrón, piled with a juicy pico de gallo of tomato, onion and chilli, and soaked with a hot red salsa and lime, so the crackling softens at the edges but stays crunchy in the middle. Some stands add avocado or a smear of beans. It is a quick, no-cook pork dish, best eaten standing up with a cold drink. Chef's tip: dress the chicharrón with salsa and lime only seconds before eating; left to sit, it turns soft and chewy.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the pico de gallo
- 3 ripe tomatoesseeded and finely diced
- ½ white onionfinely diced
- 2 serrano chilliesfinely chopped
- 0.5 bunch fresh corianderchopped
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- ½ tsp salt
For the guacamayas
- 7 oz pork chicharrón (crisp crackling)broken into bite-size pieces
- 2 limescut into wedges
- 1 ripe avocado (optional)sliced
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 3 ripe tomatoes, ½ white onion, 2 serrano chillies, 0.5 bunch fresh coriander, 2 tbsp fresh lime juice and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain off excess juice so it doesn't make the bread soggy.
5 minStep 2: Split 4 bolillo or crusty white rolls lengthways, leaving one side hinged, and pull out a little of the soft crumb to make room. Warm them in a hot oven or dry pan for 2–3 minutes if you like the crust extra crisp.
3 minStep 3: Fill each roll generously with 7 oz pork chicharrón (crisp crackling), then spoon in the pico de gallo and tuck in 1 ripe avocado slices if using.
Step 4: Just before eating, spoon ½ cup hot red salsa (chile de árbol or similar) over the filling and squeeze over 2 limes. Don't add the salsa ahead of time: that is the usual reason guacamayas turn into a soggy, chewy mess. Eat straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does guacamayas take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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