Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money, however, I never knew a thing! I knew that we weren’t rich, but I had no idea just how much my mother was struggling to put food on the table. We ate like kings! My grandmother made the most humble of dishes feel like 5 star meals, including — Salami Guisado.
Salami Guisado is Dominican Stewed sausages sautéed in a yummy tomato sauce with onions, peppers, and spices. It’s a humble dish full of flavor, color, and sauce! With just a few bucks, you can feed a family of 8! Trust me, this has been tried and tested! Salami Guisado is a dish that you throw together whenever you are low on funds or time– and sometimes both! Growing up, I had no idea that Salami Guisado was considered a humble dish. I honestly looked forward to it and considered it a treat. There were so many ways to enjoy Dominican Salami whether it be in Locrio de Salami, Mangu, or even Dominican Spaghetti. Outside of Locrio, Salami Guisado was cause for celebration. My cousins and I would jump for joy knowing that my grandmother was throwing this together for dinner usually with boiled green plantains, tostones, or white rice. This dish was cheaper than making chicken, fish, and definitely cheaper than making beef. Nonetheless, it was just as delicious and filling.
Nowadays, I make this dish for my husband regularly. He LOVES Salami Guisado with boiled green plantains. Having grown up with parents who both grew up on farms, he prefers to have most of the root veggies boiled vs. fried. The end result is a Salami Guisado that wonderfully coats tender boiled plantains. Outside of the Dominican Salami, one of my favorite parts about this dish is the sauce. I love that I get to drown my white rice and tostones in it, because it’s truly out of this world.
One thing to note is that Dominican Salami is very unique. There are multiple brands on the market and not all of them are created equally. Yes– you heard that here, first! Everyone has their preferred brand of salami. They each have their own flavor and they each crisp up just a bit differently. I personally love Induveca. My husband favors Campesino, and my aunt likes Higueral. Regardless of the brand that you choose to use, your Dominican Salami Guisado will come out tasty. Just note that some brands are saltier than others. As a result, I recommend that you taste this dish as you make and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Add the salt at the end, because you may not even need it!
If you’d like to learn How to Make Dominican Salami Guisado visit my YouTube Channel- Chef Zee Cooks! Let’s get to cooking!
Ingredients
- 3 cups Diced Dominican Salami
- 1 Small Red or White Onion Sliced
- ½ Red & Green Pepper Sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 1 tsp DR Orégano
- 1 tbsp Sazón
- ½ tsp Chicken Bouillon Cube
- 1 tbsp Spanish Olives
- ¼ cup Tomato paste
- ½ cup Tomato sauce
- ¼ cup Water
- 1 ½ tbsp Cilantro Chopped
Instructions
- Dice your Dominican Salami into roughly 1inch cubes or triangles. Set aside
- In a deep sided skillet, warm up 1 tbsp of olive. Note that salami will release it’s own juices and oil. It’s best to add less oil now and add more later on if you need it to avoid this coming out oily
- Once the oil is nice and hot, add salami. Brown the salami until they have all developed even color. This should take about 7 - 10 minutes.
- Now add onions, peppers, garlic, orégano, sazón, salt and pepper. Mix together until well combined and saute for about 3 minutes
- Now add tomato sauce, tomato paste, and a little bit of water. Work the tomato paste into the dish. Let it simmer for 5 minutes
- Once the sauce has simmered, add Spanish olives and feel free to garnish with diced cilantro. Enjoy while hot and serve with your favorite starch-- rice, beans, plantains, and/or yuca!