Grandma's Chicharra Preparada con Salsa Xnipec
(chee-chah-rah pre-pah-rah-dah kohn sahl-sah shnee-pek)
Mérida Market Afternoons: Antojitos & Front Porch Snacks
True Yucatecan chicharra isn't a stale pork rind pulled from a plastic bag. It's a decadent, fatty mix of crispy skin, rich pork belly, and crunchy rendered offcuts meant to be shared on a hot Mérida afternoon. While grandma might have rendered her own pork over a wood fire, the modern secret is befriending the butcher at your local carnicería. Buy their best assorted pork belly cracklings, then focus your energy where it belongs: on the bright, fiery, slow-cured citrus salsa that cuts straight through the richness.
Before you start
Cure the Xnipec salsa.
In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine the red onion, habanero, half of the diced tomatoes, and cilantro. Pour the orange juice, lime juice, and vinegar over the top to mimic the native sour orange, then stir in the salt and oregano. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to denature the harsh sulfurous compounds of the onion and turn the juice a beautiful pink.
Ingredients
- red onion1 med
- habanero peppers2 small
- tomato2 large
- fresh cilantro1/2 cup
- fresh sweet orange juice1/3 cup
- fresh lime juice1/3 cup
- white distilled vinegar1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- dried Mexican oregano1/4 tsp
- pork belly cracklings1/2 lb
- pork rinds1/2 lb
- white cabbage2 cup
- English cucumber1/2 med
- radishes5 med
- avocado1 large
- corn tortillas12 med
- limes2 med
Method
- 01
Prepare the crisp cabbage salad.
In a large serving bowl, gently toss together the shredded cabbage, cucumber, radishes, and the remaining diced tomato. Fold in the avocado just before serving so it doesn't turn to mush.
- 02
Chop the chicharra into bite-sized pieces.
Using a heavy chef's knife or cleaver, roughly chop the meaty pork belly cracklings and the standard pork rinds. Gather up any shattered crumbs of fat from the cutting board—these are the "puyul," the highly concentrated nuggets of flavor that locals fight over.
- 03
Assemble the platter at the last possible moment.
Never mix the pork into the wet salad before sitting at the table, or the skin will instantly turn soggy. Pile the chopped chicharra high on a serving platter and surround it with the fresh cabbage salad.
- 04
Build your tacos like a local.
Take a warm corn tortilla, add a spoonful of the crispy, fatty pork, top it with a generous mound of the crunchy cabbage salad, and finish with a spoonful of the fiery Xnipec, making sure to get some of the pink citrus juice on the meat.
Notes
Navigating the carnicería for the perfect mix.
True Yucatecan chicharra is 'surtida' (assorted). Asking your local Mexican butcher for half 'chicharrón con carne' (the prized, meaty castacán) and half standard 'chicharrón de pella' perfectly replicates this essential textural contrast without the need to deep-fry whole pork bellies at home.