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Salpicón de Res is a refreshing shredded beef, radish, tomato and mint salad that’s popular throughout Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the rest of Latin America.
This easy shredded beef salad makes a delicious party appetizer or game-day food when topped on tostadas or tucked inside tacos.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to transport. Unlike mayonnaise-based salads that have to stay super-chilled, you don’t have to worry about contracting food poisoning while transporting this healthy beef salad during hot weather.
- An easy Guatemalan appetizer, light lunch, or side dish!
- Excellent for serving a crowd.
- Healthy combination of ingredients.
What is Salpicón de Res?
Salpicón, refers to a dish of one or more finely diced ingredients bound with a sauce.
While there are many varieties of salpicon around the world — chicken, salpicón de mariscos (seafood), and even pork — the beef version is especially popular in Guatemala.
Salpicón de res, a shredded beef, radish, and mint salad, is a traditional Guatemalan food typically served at parties and get-togethers.
It’s served year-round and makes the perfect side dish or appetizer on tostadas because you can make it in advance.
Unlike chojin, a similar traditional Guatemalan food also popular as an appetizer but made with chicharron (fried pork rinds), it’s not deep fried making it lower in calories and heart-healthier.
Ingredients
Making salpicon de res requires a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Beef: I used a 2-3 pound blade roast but you can use other cuts of beef that will tenderize when cooked slowly.
- Beef stock: For cooking shredded beef. I find it adds more flavour but you can also use water.
- Fresh mint or hierba buena: Gives the Guatemalan version of this shredded beef salad its unique flavour.
- Limes: Freshly squeezed lime juice is essential for the most vibrant citrus flavour.
- Orange Juice: For the most traditional flavor use bitter orange, naranja agria which adds a hint of bitterness to the dish. It’s possible to purchase a small bottle of Goya Naranja Agria from Amazon, but you can also substitute unsweetened orange juice and grapefruit juice.
- Veggies: Finely diced tomatoes, jalapeño pepper, tomatoes, radishes, and cilantro are mixed with the shredded beef in this refreshing hearty beef salad.
⭐️ Ingredient Tip: If you cook a large roast and have leftovers is to use the extra beef to make machaca con huevo, a spicy beef and scrambled egg dish popular in northern Mexico
How to Make Guatemalan Shredded Beef Salad
Follow along to see the main steps for how to make a shredded beef salad. Don’t forget to check the printable recipe for all the details.
- Cook the beef. I use a Dutch Oven so I can place the meat inside with enough water so it’s 50% covered with liquid. Then, I can forget about it for a few hours and just wait until it’s soft and tender.
⭐️ You can also choose to cook it in a slow cooker for five to six hours at a low setting.
- Prep the veggies. Trim the radishes, slice crosswise and then chop finely.
- Chop the onions and herbs you’ll be using. The key is to chop them finely and make sure they’re completely dry. Seed the tomatoes and chop them into small pieces. Wash, dry, and finely chop the cilantro and mint.
- Once the beef is tender, remove it from the liquid (reserve the broth for later to make Sopa de Albondigas Guatemalteco – Healthy Meatball Soup ) and allow it to cool enough so you can separate the meat into long strands.
Continue to shred the meat using two forks. It’s the same method used when making the popular beef stew hilachas Guatemaltecas. Then chop the meat into smaller pieces crosswise.
- Mix the lime juice and naranja agria (orange juice) in a separate bowl for the dressing.
Combine the shredded and chopped meat with the vegetables and stir in the dressing and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve garnished with avocado or crema drizzled overtop. Enjoy it with tortilla chips or on tostadas.
If you’re looking for a vegetarian appetizer, another easy Guatemalan appetizer to make is tortitas de ejote. Check out our recipe for Green Bean Fritters or Tortitas de Ejote Guatemalteco.
Variations of Salpicón
I first tried salpicón de res Guatemalteco in the home of my husband’s best friend, Juan Carlos. His wife Idalia hails from Chiquimula, a sweltering but picturesque city surrounded by mountains near our family ranch in Zacapa, Guatemala.
Her cool radish salad appetizer made an ideal midday snack and featured shredded radishes, which added a peppery flavour and colour.
Throughout Latin America: You can find recipe variations of this shredded beef salad across Central America and in Mexico. Many variations of beef salpicón feature an oil and vinegar vinaigrette and oregano rather than mint.
What are the Main Types of Salpicón?
While all versions of salpicón are popular dishes to serve when entertaining there are different types of meat you can use. They’re all delicious!
Salpicón de Res (Beef): Is usually made with the beef leftover from caldo de res and includes tomatoes, mint and radishes.
Salpicón de Pollo (Chicken): This shredded chicken combo is often topped with crema and avocado and served over tostadas.
Salpicon de Mariscos (Seafood): Usually served in tapas-sized portions in small dishes or glasses. The ingredients are sourced fresh and are expensive so it’s more of a special occasion dish.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to roast the beef long enough and with sufficient liquid so that it shreds easily.
- Shred the beef using your hands or two forks as soon as it’s cool enough to handle.
- Reuse the beef broth for caldo de res (beef soup) the next day.
- You can vary the proportions of radishes, mint, and cilantro according to taste.
- Naranja agria (a bitter orange marinade that’s popular in Latin cooking) is a preferred ingredient for salpicon de res Guatemalteca. But you can substitute a mixture of unsweetened orange juice and grapefruit juice in equal parts.
- Wear gloves when slicing jalapeño peppers.
FAQs
In Guatemala and Mexico, you can tell the butcher the name of the dish you’ll be making and he’ll give you the exact cut of meat needed for your recipe. In Canada, it’s not so easy.
I used a blade roast for this salpicon de res recipe. You can substitute flank steak, brisket, or any other cut of meat that’s marbled and cooks up tender with a long cooking time at a low temperature.
Yes, you can. Like many other recetas guatemalteca you can also make salpicón de res from leftover pot roast or brisket.
Using leftover roast beef doesn’t produce exactly the same dish as the traditional, start-from-scratch recipe. But I promise it will be just as popular and disappear just as quickly!
Simply chop the leftover roast into small pieces and then add the salad dressing and vegetables according to the recipe instructions below.
More Easy Guatemalan Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a comment further down if you REALLY like it. Thanks!
Salpicón de Res (Shredded Beef Salad)
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound blade roast
- 6 cups beef stock or water
- 8 stalks fresh mint or hierba buena
- 2 limes
- 3 Tablespoons orange juice preferably bitter orange or naranja agria
- 1 large onion
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 bunch radishes
- 5 stalks fresh cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brown the beef and place it in a Dutch Oven with water and cook it for 3 hours until tender.
- Remove the seeds and pulp and then dice the tomatoes finely.
- Mince the onion very finely. You might be tempted to use a food processor to speed things up but don’t give into the temptation as it will change the texture of the salad.
- Trim the radishes, slice them crosswise and dice finely.
- Wash the mint and cilantro and dry them. Remove the mint leaves from the stalks and chop them finely along with the cilantro.
- Remove the seeds and interior of the jalapeño pepper and mince into tiny pieces.
- Once the meat has cooled, remove any fat and shred the meat into strips using two forks or your fingers. Then dice the meat into small pieces.
- Combine the meat and chopped mint, cilantro, onion, tomato, radishes and jalapeño pepper in a large non-metallic bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the lime juice from two limes, 3 Tablespoons of orange juice plus salt and pepper.
- Pour the lime juice dressing over the meat mixture and toss lightly with a fork.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more and then serve with tortilla chips.
- Garnish with sprigs of cilantro or slices of avocado
Notes
- Be sure to roast the beef long enough and with sufficient liquid so that it shreds easily.
- Shred the beef using your hands or two forks as soon as it’s cool enough to handle.
- Reuse the beef broth for caldo des res ( beef soup) the next day.
- Wear gloves when slicing jalapeño peppers.
- You can vary the proportions of radishes, mint, and cilantro according to taste.
- Naranja agria (a bitter orange marinade that’s popular in Latin cooking) is a preferred ingredient for salpicon de res Guatemalteca. But you can substitute a mixture of unsweetened orange juice and grapefruit juice in equal parts.
Note: Nutritional information is created by online calculators so the figures are only estimates.
Nutrition
Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.
Read more about Michele Peterson.
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Michelle
I’m loving that dressing! I have never heard of salpicon, so it was very interesting to learn about its origins. Thanks for sharing x
Michele Peterson
True, it’s a dish that’s not well known outside of Latin America but is easy to make and delicious!
Tania | Fit Foodie Nutter
This salad loos so fresh, bright, colourful and full of delicious flavours! What a great recipe for the summer BBQs!
Lisa Huff
I think I need to try that Goya Naranja Agria! Sounds fabulous!
Marlynn | Urban Bliss Life
What a gorgeous dish! Love all of the flavors and vibrant colors.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
This is an interesting recipe. I have never tried beef prepared like this before. Also, the beef mint combination is new to me as well. I know of this with lamb, but have not tried it with beef.
Kesari Tours
Nice post. This was really helpful post, thanks!
nicole (thespicetrain.com)
This sounds awesome, so refreshing! I always have a ton of mint in the garden during the summer months and I also keep a mint plant in the house for a year-round supply, so this recipe will work for me anytime. Thanks for sharing, Michele! 🙂
Chris Rawstern
Salpicon! I only ever heard it called Picadito! Whatever it’s called, our family loves this dish, whether made only with radishes or this way, with meat. My preference is brisket, as it has great flavor.
Wandering Carol
This sounds truly amazing – refreshing for summer. Love the photos as well. PS Please make it for me when I’m back in Toronto!
Irene S. Levine
Looks like a lovely summer dish. Thanks for sharing the recipe~
esperanza
Sounds and looks delicious and a lovely change from the old mixed greens and romaine (yet again!)
Lesley Peterson
Salpicon sounds fantastic! I love mint. Will be printing this recipe.
Sherel Purcell
Yummy Guatemala recipe!