Curtido, the spicy slaw from El Salvador, is simple to make and a perfect accompaniment for homemade pupusas!
Think of Salvadoran curtido as the skinny, vivacious cousin of creamy American coleslaw: tangy vinegar and spicy crushed red pepper coat crunchy shreds of cabbage and carrot to create a refreshing slaw without any fat at all (I’ve strayed a bit from tradition with this curtido recipe, swapping in honey for sugar and scallion for white onion).
When you make this, no need to make the dressing separately. Just whisk dressing ingredients together in the bottom of a large bowl, add the slaw and toss to coat. You can serve this slaw alongside any dish you would traditional coleslaw or even kimchi – its tart acidity and spicy kick are particularly excellent with rich foods. Aside of being the perfect partner to cheese stuffed pupusas, it would also compliment fried chicken or fish.
Curtido (Salvadoran Spicy Slaw)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey or 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 head green cabbage finely chopped or shredded
- 1 medium carrot peeled and shredded
- 2 green onions finely chopped
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Whisk first 4 ingredients (vinegar through crushed red pepper) together in a large bowl. Add cabbage, carrot and green onions; toss to combine and coat evenly. Season to taste with kosher salt and serve.
I made your Pupusaas on Aug 25th and the were delicious so I made the Curtido today Sept 12th so i can make your Pupusas again tomorrow and have Curtido with them. Last time I made the Pupusas with BBQ Pork and Mozzarella Cheese. I love them . Thank You .
I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Hi Marissa,
I just had a slaw similar to this at a new-to-me Latin restaurant in London Ontario Canada. Amazing and perfect to cut the dense long cooked flavours on the plate. I’m in love. I’m wondering something … there is a green herb used in Latin cooking (I’m told in stews and many other things) that I think they used in the slaw. Can you think of what that herb might be? I can’t remember the name of it, I have a bag of it dried and the leaves are flatter and longer than the oregano but wider than say a tarragon leaf. When I bought it at my local Latin market he said he couldn’t keep in in the store when he had it. Silly me for not writing it down that day. Fingers crossed this rings a bell for you … thanks in advance.
Now you have me curious too, Pamela. Could it be Marjoram?
The herb could be cilantro
Could it be epazote?
I bet you’re right, JM!
When you make it for pupusas you would originally make it a day in advance to brine in the flavor this is best
What kind of vinegar are you using? Recipe just states “vinegar”
Thanks!
Hi Leigh Ann! I use white vinegar – I’ll update the recipe to specify it. Thank you!
nice post
Thanks, Maria. 🙂
This slaw does indeed sound quite delicious! You’re right that it’s reminiscent of traditional American cole slaw, but the flavors sound amazing…and it’s not goopy with mayo like so many of those storebought cole slaws. In fact, this might just need to show up here soon! 🙂
Exactly, David – goopless coleslaw. 😉 Perfect for January when we’re all rubbing our bellies after the holidays and ready to eat something LIGHT! 🙂