Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Yuca Frita con Chicharrón
A Salvadoran street-food plate: boiled-then-fried cassava with crisp pork chicharrón, crowned with tangy curtido and fresh tomato chimol.
Salvadoran · medium · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 40 min
~771 cal · 34g protein · 93g carbs · 28g fat · 6g fiber · 7g sugars · 7g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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AI-generated illustration
frita con chicharrón is one of El Salvador's most beloved street foods, a plate that balances soft and crunchy, rich and bright, all at once. is boiled until tender then fried golden, piled with crisp pieces of pork chicharrón, and crowned with curtido, the lightly cabbage slaw, and chimol, a fresh chopped tomato salsa.
It is found at roadside stands, markets, and family gatherings across the country, and cousins of it turn up all over Central America and the Caribbean; the Nicaraguan vigorón is a close relative. The magic is in the textures: the turns starchy and fluffy, the chicharrón brings salty crunch, and the cool, sharp cabbage keeps every forkful from feeling heavy.
Timing is everything: cook the first, make the chimol and curtido while it boils, and fry the chicharrón last so it reaches the plate hot and crackling. A squeeze of lime ties it together.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut- and egg-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
2 lbs (), peeled and cut in chunks
1 lb pork belly or pork rind (chicharrón)
1/2 small head green cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, grated
1/4 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 lime, juiced
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Make the curtido first: toss the cabbage, carrot, and onion with the vinegar, oregano, a little salt, and a pinch of sugar, and set aside to soften while you cook.
✎ Chef’s note
Curtido is better after it sits, so make it ahead if you can; an hour is good, a few hours is better.
2
Boil the yuca in salted water until fork-tender, about 20 minutes, then drain, pat dry, and pull out the fibrous cores. Cut into thick wedges.
3
Make the chimol by mixing the diced tomatoes, half the cilantro, half the lime juice, and salt.
4
If starting from raw pork, simmer it until tender, then fry the pieces in hot oil until deeply crisp; drain well. Fry the yuca wedges in the same oil until golden and crisp.
5
Pile the hot yuca on plates, top with the chicharrón, and finish with the curtido and a spoon of chimol. Serve with lime wedges.
San Salvador street-food tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
San Salvador. The pupusa is national by decree: the second Sunday of November is National Pupusa Day, set by the legislature in 2005 and placed at the peak of the maize harvest. Honduras also claims the pupusa and the two countries have argued about it, so the safe claim is national status rather than exclusive origin.
🗺️
El Salvador. The pupusa has a national day, the second Sunday in November, set by legislative decree in 2005, and Honduras also claims the form, so El Salvador's claim is best put as national status rather than sole invention. Olocuilta is where the rice-flour version is associated, and loroco, an edible flower bud, is the filling that surprises visitors most.
🌍
North America. Almost every regional cooking here records who arrived and on what terms. Enslaved West Africans brought rice, okra, black-eyed peas and the techniques behind Lowcountry and Creole food; Chinese railway labour and later Italian, Jewish, Mexican and Vietnamese arrivals built the way the cities eat; and Indigenous foodways sit underneath all of it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from El Salvador
Pupusas con CurtidoHand-patted masa cakes stuffed with cheese and beans, griddled until molten, served with tangy cabbage curtido.
Plátanos Fritos con Frijoles y CremaCaramelized fried plantains with thick refried beans and a swirl of crema, the humble Salvadoran típico breakfast.
Panes con PolloWarm baguette rolls stuffed with relajo-spiced chicken, salad, and a savory gravy, El Salvador's festive sandwich.
Browse all El Salvador recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
Make it a El Salvador meal
Horchata de MorroDrink
Quesadilla SalvadoreñaDessert
Sopa de PataDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Yuca Frita con Chicharrón?
A Salvadoran street-food plate: boiled-then-fried cassava with crisp pork chicharrón, crowned with tangy curtido and fresh tomato chimol.
Where does Yuca Frita con Chicharrón come from?
Yuca Frita con Chicharrón is a Salvadoran dish from San Salvador, El Salvador.
Can Yuca Frita con Chicharrón be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Yuca Frita con Chicharrón recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Yuca Frita con Chicharrón safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Yuca Frita con Chicharrón take to make?
About 65 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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