Who doesn’t love salpicao? There is something truly delicious about biting into a tender piece of meat and savoring its juiciness and its flavor.
Whether it’s the classic beef, the white meat chicken, or chunks of meat substitutes such as mushrooms or even tofu squares, salpicao is one of those recipes that is universally loved.
The most definitive aspect of the salpicao recipe is the tiny bits of crunchy and finely-chopped garlic. If you take a look at a salpicao recipe, you may notice that it has a list of ingredients that not only make it delicious but also makes it different from other salpicao recipes.
At the heart of the salpicao recipe, however, is three main ingredients. Even if you don’t have the other ingredients, as long as you have these three, you can make a delicious salpicao recipe.
Here are those ingredients:
Garlic + Worcestershire Sauce + Meat
Garlic is essential in salpicao since its the other main flavoring in the dish. Without it, it may just be a salty bowl of meat.
Worcestershire sauce meanwhile is a salty, umami-packed liquid seasoning that is unlike any other condiment you may have in your kitchen shelves. What makes it delicious is also what makes it hard to substitute. Luckily, our local supermarkets have two ingredients that can easily be used as Worcestershire sauce’s substitute: soy sauce and liquid seasoning. Use these two ingredients with care as both are much saltier but deliver the same saltiness you need to make your salpicao appetizingly delicious.
Meat is the third and final ingredient to the salpicao recipe. The reason we don’t state “beef” is because there are many variations you can do even without using beef. You can easily substitute chicken for the beef or if you’re going meatless, mushrooms and tofu make fantastic meat substitutes that are just as tasty and delicious as the original.
It goes without saying that salt and pepper are the universal seasoning for all savory dishes. There are few dishes that won’t benefit from a little of these two seasonings. However, since there is already a salty ingredient in salpicao, use ground pepper to add another layer of flavor to your recipe.
While these three ingredients are the main ingredients of the traditional salpicao recipe, there is nothing that says you can improve upon this recipe.
How do you make salpicao better?
What can take this recipe over-the-top is what you cook it in. If you want to go simple and classic, pour in the oil and let it become ripping hot before adding the beef. We think the addition of butter, however, is the ultimate indulgence to any recipe. Oil is the neutral ingredient you can use but butter elevates many dishes to richness that oil cannot match.
Are you craving salpicao now? Don’t worry. Get your fix with one of these easy recipes:
1 Beef Salpicao Recipe
This is an updated and Filipinized version using not only garlic and Worcestershire sauce, the recipe jacks up the umami flavors with some liquid seasoning, too. You’ll want lots of crusty bread or steamed rice to eat this!
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2 Pork Salpicao Recipe
If you’re not into beef or want a more affordable and tender version that doesn’t require hours of tenderizing the meat, this salpicao version makes the easy switch from beef to pork. It has the same meaty flavor you will be looking for but you will also get the same tenderness and garlicky notes you want.
3 Chicken Salpicao Recipe
Even the healthy eaters among us shouldn’t have to skip eating their favorite dishes! This salpicao recipe uses chicken and mushrooms so you won’t ever miss the meatiness you’re looking for.
4 Grilled Chicken Salpicao Recipe
Don’t have mushrooms and have the grill going? Try this easy grilled chicken recipe that mimics the flavors of salpicao.
5 Bangus Salpicao Recipe
Going healthy doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor! This healthier version of the beef salpicao recipe uses bangus or the milkfish for its third main ingredient. What you get is all the garlicky, umami-packed flavor of the salpicao in fish. This is one fish dish you may turn to again and again.
6 Mushroom Salpicao Recipe
Got mushrooms and love garlic? Then why not elevate your usual garlic mushroom recipe to be this umami-powered dish. Mushrooms are still tossed in delicious garlic bits but gets the benefit of the saltiness of soy sauce and dash of sherry to round out the flavors.
Love garlic and all the dishes that have it? Here are more garlicky recipes you should try:
