Salpicón

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Try this salpicón recipe featuring pulled jackfruit layered with fresh greens and a vegetable medley. Mix it with a citrus-based vinaigrette, and serve it atop crispy tostadas for the ultimate healthy snack or dinner!

📖 About

We know it sounds like a cliché vegan thing to say, but we love salad. Whenever the chance to try a new recipe comes up, we jump at it. Now you can make a plant-based version of this tasty Mexican salad at home!

What is salpicón?

Mexican salpicón (also known as salpicón de res) is an easy-to-make salad that can be eaten as an appetizer or a light main course. Typically, there are three main components:

1. Meat: Usually beef, chicken, or seafood.
2. Dressing: A vinagrette-style dressing that includes lime.
3. Fresh vegetables: In-season vegetables are a must.

Salpicón de res is oftentimes served on tostadas with avocado and other garnishes, all of which add more textural components to the snack.

If you have any favorite vegetables, feel free to add them in as well. The rules are more like guidelines here — it’s a salad after all! Some other options include olives, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, and carrots.

If you don’t have easy access to jackfruit, you can also replace it with other plant-based proteins like chickpeas, tempeh, or tofu.

Is salpicón de res vegan?

Salpicón refers to a medley of ingredients diced up and served with a sauce. In fact, it means something different depending on the region you’re in.

A vegan salpicón can be made from a mixture of only diced vegetables. But, salpicón de res includes beef (res means beef).

For this recipe, we swapped in shredded jackfruit to emulate the beef texture found in salpicón de res (in a completely plant-based way).

History

As with many dishes in Mexico, salpicón has its roots in Spanish cuisine. As the Spaniards made an impact on Central and South America, so did their methods of cooking.

In English “salpicón” loosely translates to “medley.” In terms of the dish, it basically means a mixture of chopped or minced ingredients (meats and vegetables) that have been seasoned with a vinegar-based dressing.

Along with other Latin American countries, Mexico made salpicón its own by adding fruits and vegetables native to the area. Further south in countries like Venezuela, it’s commonly made with seafood and lemon instead of vinegar.

As you can see, there are endless preparations and various versions of salpicón, all influenced by the surrounding area.

Serving

There are a few different ways to serve salpicón. Depending on your level of hunger, this dish can be eaten for lunch, dinner, or as a snack. Typically, it is served in one of the following ways:

• Tostadas: Adding salpicón to a crispy tostada creates a delicious crunch factor and a toasted corn flavor.
• Tortillas: Try adding it to corn tortillas or flour tortillas to make salpicón tacos.
• Salad: For a lower carb recipe, serve this salad right out of the bowl as a side dish or main.

🍲 Ingredients

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

• Jackfruit: For added texture and flavor. Jackfruit is a great meat replacement in plant-based recipes. Use canned or dehydrated for this salpicón.
• Onion, garlic, bay leaf: These three seasonings are used to flavor the jackfruit and add savoury, herbal, umami flavors.
• Lettuce: For the main bulk of the dish, use any type of lettuce you prefer like Green Leaf, Romaine, Butter, etc.
• Other vegetables: Although you can use any vegetables you want, radishes, red onion, tomatoes, and jalapeños work well. Those are typical mix-ins for salpicón de res.

• Olive oil: A classic part of any vinaigrette, olive oil helps balance the acidity of vinegar and lime juice. You can also use avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
• Lime: Fresh squeezed lime adds tanginess and a subtle sweetness to the salad dressing. Plus, they’re full of vitamin C, which is an important antioxidant.
• Vinegar: To add acidity to the vinaigrette. For differences in flavor, test out white wine vinegar, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
• Mexican oregano: Lends a slight licorice and citrusy flavor. Mexican oregano really adds a herbacous element to salpicón.
• Salt, pepper: As an enhancement to all other flavors in this recipe.

🔪 Instructions

If you have questions about this vegan salpicón recipe, don’t forget to check out our FAQ section at the bottom of this post.

Step 1: Add the jackfruit, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and salt to a pot filled with water. Cover and bring to a light boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Step 2: Once the jackfruit is rehydrated, drain it, squeezing out as much water as possible. Season it with more salt and cracked black pepper. You can add some tamari here as well (we sometimes do).

Step 3: Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium and sauté the jackfruit for a few minutes. Alternatively, bake it on a parchment-lined pan at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Add all dressing ingredients to a mason jar with a lid. Close and shake it up until everything is incorporated. Set that aside to bring the flavors together.

Step 5: Chop all of the vegetables you’ll be using and shred the lettuce. Add everything to a large mixing bowl with the jackfruit.

Step 6: Mix in the dressing, then serve your jackfruit salpicón on its own or overtop tostadas. Add cubed avocado, vegan queso fresco or cotija, and pickled jalapeños. Happy eating!

🌡️ Storage

This recipe is so quick to make, so you shouldn’t often have leftovers. If you do end up with some extra, here’s what to do:

Fridge

If you have too much salpicón, store it in the fridge for up to 1-2 days. It will stay fresher if you keep the jackfruit, dressing, vegetables, and salad in separate containers.

💭 Tips & variations

We’d like to share some tips and variations we learned while experimenting with this jackfruit salpicón recipe:

• Switch up the protein. Try using tofu, tempeh, seitan, or chickpeas in place of the jackfruit for a different flavor.
• Try adding other vegetables. Use other vegetables like cucumber, carrots, celery, bell peppers, etc. Try them out to see what you think!
• Swap out the dressing. Although vinaigrette is commonly served on salpicón, it’s not unheard of for other dressings to be used.
• Serve dressing individually. To prevent a soggy salpicón, dress it on an individual basis.

🍴 Tasting notes

We love making this jackfruit salpicón recipe for a light meal or snack. It’s:

• Fresh
• Tangy
• Crispy
• Herbaceous
• Healthy

If you try this salpicón recipe, please rate it and leave us a comment below! Want to stay up-to-date with new recipes? Subscribe to our newsletter or connect with Broke Bank Vegan on social media. Happy eating!

♻️ Similar recipes

For more healthy (but still delicious) recipes, check out our:

• Ensalada de nopales for a light, fresh, and zesty salad made from prickly pear cactus paddles.
• Jugo verde to try a flavor-packed green juice full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that keep you healthy.
• Mushroom aguachile made with oyster mushrooms, cucumbers, and red onion marinated in chiles, lime juice, cilantro, and garlic.
• Calabacitas for perfectly cooked zucchini mixed with corn, tomatoes, spicy peppers, and savoury seasonings.

💬 FAQ