Chorizo con Salsa Criolla

Chorizo con Salsa Criolla

Recipes with Chorizo Uruguayo

Salsa criolla is not a cooked sauce. It is a macerated raw relish of white onion, tomato, green pepper, red wine vinegar, and oil, chopped fine and left to sit for thirty minutes before serving. Poured over freshly grilled chorizo, the cold relish hits the hot sausage and the vinegar rises in a brief steam. The contrast is the whole point: grilled fat against raw acidity, hot against room temperature. This is standard table service at Uruguayan parrillas alongside the bread basket.

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

12 min

Servings

4

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

  • 4 chorizo uruguayo links
  • 1 large white onion, very finely diced
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil (sunflower or light olive)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Steps

1

Combine the onion, tomato, and green pepper in a bowl. Add the vinegar and oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir well and leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The onion softens slightly in the acid.

2

Grill the chorizo over medium-hot coals for 12 minutes, turning once, until the skin blisters and crisps.

3

Place the grilled chorizo on a serving plate or wooden board. Spoon the salsa criolla over the top immediately. Add parsley if using.

4

Serve with bread to mop the juices from the plate.

Tips

Chop the onion as fine as possible. Large onion chunks overwhelm the sausage. The salsa will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days, though the tomato softens and the color dulls. Fresh is better. Do not add the parsley until just before serving.