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Salpicón nicaragüense
Minced beef with onion and lime
Salpicón nicaragüense: finely minced beef with onion and lime
On lunch plates in León and Managua, salpicón is the quiet star next to rice, gallo pinto and fried ripe plantain: boiled beef chopped very finely and tossed with heaps of onion, sweet pepper and lime juice, eaten cold or at room temperature. It is fresh, zesty and light, more like a beef salad than a stew. Making it in a food processor is the common mistake, because the meat turns to paste instead of fine, separate crumbs. Cool the cooked beef within 2 hours and keep it in the fridge until you mix it. Chef's tip: some cooks fry the salpicón briefly in a hot pan before serving, which gives crispy edges; try half each way.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the beef
- 1 ½ lb beef chuck or topsidein 2 pieces
- 6 ¼ cups water
- ½ onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 bay leaf
For the salpicón
- 2 red onionsvery finely chopped
- 1 green peppervery finely chopped
- 4 limesjuiced
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ oz fresh mint or coriander (optional)chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 1 ½ lb beef chuck or topside, 6 ¼ cups water, ½ onion, 2 cloves garlic and 1 bay leaf in a pot. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer gently, half covered, for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until a fork pushes in with no resistance.
75 minStep 2: Lift out the beef and leave until cool enough to handle. Keep the broth for soup.
Step 3: Pull the beef into strands, then chop them with a large knife into crumbs about the size of a grain of rice.
Step 4: Mix the beef with 2 red onions, 1 green pepper, 4 limes, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and ⅓ oz fresh mint or coriander. Taste: it should be sharp with lime and well seasoned.
Step 5: Chill for 30 minutes so the lime softens the onion, then serve cold or at room temperature with rice and fried plantain. It keeps for 2 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does salpicón nicaragüense take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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