Salpicón de Res con Toques de Hierbabuena
(sahl-pee-KOHN deh rehs)
Panes con Pollo & The Weekend Feast
The knife scrapes the board on a Tuesday at 6 p.m., and the smell of a fistful of fresh mint and lime hitting cold, minced beef is the exact scent of a Saturday afternoon. The genius here is in the austere knife work, taking the chunks down to a fine pebble after using a pressure cooker to get the meat done in twenty minutes flat, making it a viable weeknight lifeline. And don't you dare throw away that cooking liquid; toss in some carrots and cabbage for a killer caldito on the side. The lime juice does the rest—pile the beef onto a warm stack of store-bought tortillas and eat it standing by the stove.
Before you start
Respect the texture.
The magic of this dish is in the knife work. If you are strapped for time and must use a food processor instead of hand-mincing, pulse in small batches using one-second intervals so you don't turn the meat into paste.
Ingredients
- Eye of Round roast2 lb
- white onion1/2 large
- garlic4 med cloves
- Roma tomato1 med
- green bell pepper1/2 med
- bay leaves2 med
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- water6 cup
- spearmint1/2 cup
- red radishes10 med
- white onion1/2 large
- fresh limes4 large
- black pepperto taste
Method
- 01
Cook the beef under high pressure.
Place the beef chunks, the intact onion half, garlic, tomato, bell pepper, bay leaves, and salt in an electric pressure cooker. Add enough water to just submerge the meat, secure the lid, and cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes.
- 02
Let the pressure release naturally, then cool the beef completely.
Allow a 15-minute natural release before carefully venting any remaining steam. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and let it cool completely on a cutting board. Don't skip the cooling; warm meat will turn to mush when chopped and wilt your fresh herbs.
- 03
Mince the cooled beef into uniform, tiny cubes.
Use a sharp chef's knife to chop the beef into a fine, uniform mince. The pieces should be no larger than the size of a green pea.
- 04
Combine the meat with the aromatics.
In a large bowl, toss the finely minced beef, diced radishes, minced onion, and spearmint together until the colors are evenly distributed.
- 05
Dress the salad and let it rest.
Pour the fresh lime juice over the mixture and season generously with salt and black pepper. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the lime to lightly cure the vegetables and the spearmint oils to permeate the beef.
Notes
Buy the right mint.
Authentic hierbabuena is spearmint, not peppermint. Peppermint will make your beef taste like toothpaste; spearmint provides the round, herbaceous sweetness this dish demands.
Save the liquid gold.
Salvadoran grandmothers never waste the cooking liquid. Strain the leftover beef broth, bring it to a simmer, and toss in chopped carrots, potatoes, and cabbage for an effortless, deeply savory side soup.