Curtido – A Salvadorian salad
A refreshing, colorful and spicy salad made with raw cabbage, that will complement any tacos, char grilled burgers or even pupusas with a nice kick.
Equipment
- cutting board
- large bowl
- large jars
- cheese grater
- mandolin
Ingredients
- 1/2 cabbage green
- 1/2 cabbage purple
- 2 onions medium, yellow or Walla Walla
- 1 onion medium, white
- 3 peppers Serrano
- 3 peppers spicy, habanero or other chilies of choice
- 2 carrots medium
- 1 tbsp sugar granulated
- 3 tbsp salt or to taste
- 1 tbsp oregano dry
- 3/4 cups vinegar apple cider
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Wash all the vegetables and dry; start by cutting the cabbages in half, remove the core and shred finely using the mandolin; place in a large bowl.1/2 cabbage, 1/2 cabbage
- With the help of a cheese grater, large holes, shred the carrots and place in the bowl.2 carrots
- Slice the onions and the Serrano peppers very finely; place them in the bowl.2 onions, 3 peppers, 1 onion
- Cut the chilies in half, remove the seeds and slice finely; place them in the bowl3 peppers
- Sprinkle the sugar, salt, vinegar and oregano; mix well and set aside, covered with plastic wrap for at least 20 minutes or until the cabbae is wilted.1 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp oregano, 3/4 cups vinegar
- Serve right away or place in jars and store in the fridge; this salad will last about 1 week (and it will taste better and better)
Notes
This colorful salad is so easy to prepare and it stores for many days in the refrigerator, getting better and better each day.
The acidity provided by the apple cider vinegar makes it tangy but not overly acidic. It’s also quite spicy and it’s perfectly fine to adjust the amount of the peppers and chilies.
I would recommend it on tacos, especially fish tacos and also char-grilled burgers, spiedini, or pupusas and it’s also great instead of a traditional green salad.
This recipe was inspired to me by my mother-in-law’s heritage. She’s originally from San Salvador where this salad is a traditional side dish.
I make this salad very often for my family all year round. Everyone loves it and it usually doesn’t last very long. I like to serve it with fish tacos or smoked carnitas and queso fresco sprinkled on it.
Nutrition
Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2122mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2400IU | Vitamin C: 94mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 1mg
