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A bowl of Guatemalan shredded beef salad on the table.
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4.96 from 42 votes

Salpicón de Res (Shredded Beef Salad)

Salpicon de Res is a traditional beef and mint salad served as a refreshing first course or appetizer in Guatemala, Mexico and many other countries in Latin America
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Chilling time30 minutes
Total Time3 hours
Course: Appetizer, Salad
Cuisine: Guatemala, Mexico
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 341kcal
Cost: $15

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

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 607mg | Potassium: 1243mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 870IU | Vitamin C: 28.5mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4.3mg