Peruvian Salchipapas: The Street Food Mashup You Didn’t Know You Needed

We’re here to introduce you to one of Peru’s ultimate street-food guilty pleasures: salchipapas. If you haven’t heard of them (or have but haven’t dared to try them yet), prepare your taste buds: this dish is a mash-up of crispy fries, spiced sausage, tangy curtido, and creamy salsa rosada that somehow tastes like comfort food and party food all at once.

Now, before you start thinking this is just “fries and hot dogs,” let us stop you right there. Salchipapas are a cultural icon—an edible love letter to Peru’s playful, flavor-obsessed spirit. They’re the kind of late-night comfort that hits every craving: salty, tangy, crunchy, saucy, and just the right amount of messy. We’re taking you step by step through a tried-and-true recipe straight from Cocina’s blog, complete with pro tips, fun twists, and the kind of sass only a dish this bold deserves. Let’s cook.

Ingredients (makes about 4 servings of salchipapas)

For the Salchipapas (fries + sausage)

• 4–5 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into baton (stick) shapes
  
  
• 4 large sausages, with crosswise cuts at the ends
  
  
• Oil for frying (e.g. canola or sunflower)
  
  
• Salt, to taste
  
  

For the Curtido (onion-tomato relish)

• 2 small red onions
  
  
• 3 limes, juiced
  
  
• 1 tablespoon oil (neutral)
  
  
• 3 tomatoes
  
  
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
  
  
• 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
  
  

For the Salsa Rosada (pink sauce)

• 1 egg
  
  
• 2 tablespoons diced white onion
  
  
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
  
  
• 1 cup sunflower oil (or neutral oil)
  
  
• 1 tablespoon milk
  
  
• 8 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
  
  
• Salt to taste
  
  
• (Optional) red adobo chili, if you like heat
  
  

Instructions (how to build your salchipapas)

1. Prepare the potatoes (first fry, low temp)

1. Soak the potato sticks in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This removes excess starch.
   
   
2. Drain and dry them thoroughly (use kitchen towels or paper towels).
   
   
3. Heat your oil to 325 °F (about 160–165 °C) in a deep fryer or a deep sauté pan.
   
   
4. Add the potatoes and fry for ~10 minutes, until they are tender but not yet browned.
   
   
5. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool (this first fry gives you fluffy interior).
   
   

2. Refry potatoes + sausage (crisp time)

1. Reheat the oil to 375 °F (about 190–195 °C).
   
   
2. Reintroduce the potatoes, frying until golden and crispy.
   
   
3. Meanwhile (or toward the end), fry the sausages separately, or toss them in during the last few minutes so they crisp up but don’t overcook.
   
   
4. Once everything is golden, drain again on paper. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
   
   

3. Make the Curtido (relish)

1. Slice the red onions thinly.
   
   
2. Sprinkle them with about 1 tablespoon salt, then cover in lukewarm water and let rest 10 minutes.
   
   
3. Rinse and drain the onions to remove bitterness.
   
   
4. Add lime juice and a pinch more salt; let the onions turn slightly pink.
   
   
5. Slice the tomatoes thinly and mix them with the onions.
   
   
6. Stir in the oil and chopped cilantro. Adjust salt to taste.
   
   
7. Let it rest so flavors marry.
   
   

4. Make the Salsa Rosada (pink sauce)

1. In a blender, combine the egg, diced onion, and lime juice. Blend until smooth (the onion bits should be totally broken down).
   
   
2. While blending, add oil slowly in small increments so the mixture thickens (but don’t go full mayonnaise).
   
   
3. Add salt and milk; blend again.
   
   
4. Remove most of the sauce (reserve just a little in the blender).
   
   
5. Add the diced tomatoes to the blender and puree them. Gradually reintroduce the reserved sauce and blend until you get a very liquid, silky consistency.
   
   
6. Taste for salt, and if you want heat, sneak in some red adobo chili.
   
   
7. Chill until you're ready to serve.
   
   

 

 

 

 

 

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Ready to Fry, Feast, and Fall in Love?

When your fries, sausages, curtido, and salsa rosada are all ready, it’s time to assemble your salchipapas masterpiece. In a generous bowl or on a platter, layer the crispy fries and sausages, then drizzle (or dollop) the salsa rosada generously. Top with a heap of curtido. We sometimes like to sprinkle an extra pinch of cilantro or lime juice at the end, just to make it pop.

So there you have it—salchipapas in full glory. It’s fried, it’s saucy, it’s unapologetically indulgent, and that’s exactly why we love it. For young Americans itching to travel with their taste buds, this dish is the perfect first stop. Forget fancy plating; salchipapas are meant to be messy, social, and a little wild.

The next time you’re craving something that feels like a midnight food-truck run in Lima, fire up that oil and go for it. Who knows? You might just make salchipapas your new favorite comfort food—and earn bragging rights for pulling off a Peruvian classic that’s equal parts street-smart and soul-satisfying.