Salpicón

Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Essentially a vegetable salad akin to a big, chunky salsa, on the Yucatan peninsula salpicón is mainly served with Cochinita Pibil, a traditional whole suckling pig roasted in a “pib,” or an underground oven filled with lava rocks and live fire. Here I serve it with a New England approximation of pibil, my Yucatan-Style BBQ Ribs. The word salpicón comes from “salpicar,” which means “to sprinkle,” so feel free to sprinkle it onto your tacos or just eat it alongside any grilled meat dish. If you’re lucky enough to come across sour oranges, use them in this dish for next-level Yucatan flavor.

Serves 6

1 bunch radishes, thickly sliced
1 small white onion, chopped
1 pound heirloom tomatoes of your choice, cut into wedges
½ Habanero chili, seeded and deveined, finely minced
2 scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the vegetables together in a bowl before adding the lime juice and salt and pepper. Check for seasoning and add more salt or lime if needed. Serve at room temperature.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2021 issue as part of a larger story on Mexican BBQ.