Salpicón de res is a traditional Mexican shredded beef salad made with tender beef, fresh vegetables, and a bright lime dressing. It’s fresh, flavorful, and perfect as a light lunch or appetizer.
This colorful dish brings together shredded beef, crisp vegetables, and a citrusy dressing in a simple mix that’s usually served cold.
The word salpicón means “medley”, which describes exactly how everything comes together in one refreshing bite.
Salpicón de res is often served on tostadas or enjoyed as a quick, no-fuss meal, especially when you want something that can be made ahead and tastes even better after resting in the fridge.
Ingredients
- Meat: Shredded beef is used in this recipe. You can cook it following my shredded beef guide or use leftovers for convenience.
- Vegetables: Lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, radishes, avocado, and jalapeño chiles. You can add other vegetables like bell peppers, celery, or olives.
- Dressing: Lime juice, white vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper to make the fresh and tangy dressing.
How To Make Salpicón de Res
Place the beef, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt into a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the meat is nicely tender.
Once the meat is cooked, allow it to cool down a bit then shred it using 2 forks or place it on a large bowl and use an electric mixer to shred it quickly.
Place the shredded beef into a large bowl and set aside.
Wash and prepare all the vegetables, then chop, dice, and slice them as needed.
Add them to a bowl with the shredded beef, but hold off on the avocado for now.
Squeeze the juice of two limes over the ingredients, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of vinegar, a good pinch of dried oregano, and then season with salt and pepper.
Toss everything for 2 minutes to coat perfectly all the vegetables and meat.
Give a vigorous mix, we need all those amazing flavors to blend together.
Now, cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and make a grid with a knife. Scoop up the flesh and add it to the bowl.
Gently mix the Salpicón and then adjust the seasoning to taste.
Place the bowl in the fridge and chill the salad for 15 minutes before serving.
My Kitchen Notes
- If you’re cooking the beef on the stove in a regular stockpot, it can take up to 3 hours until it’s fully tender. You can also use a slow cooker (about 8 hours on low), an Instant Pot (around 40 minutes), or a pressure cooker to speed things up.
- Shred the meat while it’s still slightly warm, it’s much easier than when it has completely cooled.
- Add the avocado at the very end so it keeps its shape and doesn’t get mashed when you mix everything with the dressing. Those creamy cubes are best when they stay intact.
- For a small twist, you can add minced garlic for depth, chopped cilantro for freshness, or chiles en vinagre for a tangy, slightly spicy kick.
How To Serve
Salpicón de res is very flexible, and you can enjoy it in different ways depending on the moment.
Tostadas are the most traditional option. Crispy, crunchy, and perfect for piling on the salad.
You can also scoop it into fresh tortillas for a simple, satisfying meal.
For gatherings or snack-style serving, it pairs beautifully with totopos chips and works really well as a party dish or game-day bite.
If you prefer something more rustic, spoon it over toasted bread for an easy lunch.
If you enjoyed this version, you might also like my Salpicón de Pollo, a lighter chicken version of this classic Mexican salad.
How To Store
Salpicón de res is my go-to make-ahead recipe, perfect for meal prep or gatherings since most of the components can be prepared in advance.
Shredded beef keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months, while chopped lettuce and crisp vegetables like onions, radishes, and chilies stay fresh for a few days in airtight containers. Tomatoes are best used within 1–2 days.
I always add the avocado right before serving so it stays fresh and creamy.
When I’m ready to serve, I simply combine everything in a bowl, add the dressing, toss gently, and finish with avocado. It comes together quickly and tastes even better once the flavors have had a little time to blend.
More ways to use shredded beef
If you have extra shredded beef, here are a few more Mexican favorites to try:
Salpicón de Res
Ingredients
For the meat:
- 1.1 lb beef chuck roast or skirt steak
- 1 small onion (peeled)
- 2 garlic cloves (skin on)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp salt
For salpicon:
- 2 ½ cups iceberg lettuce (shredded)
- 3 medium tomatoes (diced)
- 1 medium red onion (sliced)
- 1 medium avocado (cut into cubes)
- ⅔ cup radishes (sliced)
- 2 jalapeño peppers (diced)
For dressing:
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 limes (juice)
- 3 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the beef, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt in a large stockpot. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the meat is fork-tender (see notes).
- Let the beef cool slightly, then shred it and place it in a large bowl.
- Add the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, radishes, and jalapeños.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss to coat.
- Add the diced avocado and gently mix. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Chill for 15 minutes before serving and enjoy with tostadas or tortilla chips.
Notes
- Beef cooked in a regular stockpot may take up to 3 hours to become tender. You can also use a slow cooker (8 hours on low), Instant Pot (about 40 minutes), or pressure cooker.
- Shred the beef while it is still slightly warm for easier handling.
- Add the avocado just before serving so it keeps its shape.
- For the best flavor, let the salad rest for 15–20 minutes before serving.
- Salpicón de res is delicious served with crispy tostadas, tortilla chips, or warm corn tortillas.
Nutrition Information
Did you love this Mexican shredded beef salad recipe? Please, don’t forget to rate it leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.
Delicious recipe. Had it with some salsa de guacamole and it was a good fit.
Oh my! Mexicans eat salpicón?! The first time I had it I fell in love. It’s such a simple humble dish but so satisfying! I thought it was just a Central American dish. My husband is Honduran and we eat it often. Always served with rice and lots of cilantro. I like it with tortilla chips too so I could definitely eat this on a homemade tostada. I’m glad you have this recipe on your website. It’s a family favorite! 😊
Hi, yes! we do :) there’s salpicón de res, de pollo, de mariscos and even vegan salpicon made with mushrooms. I also love this recipe, especially in summer, it is so refreshing, right?
I love salpicon de res at this time of the year, it really makes a fulfilling meal, low on calories, and also very cheap. I made your recipe and it was a hit, served it with tostadas and crackers and everyone loved it!
I made this salpicon de res two days ago and I just wish I had made more because it was so good!!! We ate it with salty crackers and my husband made a torta with it haha 😂
Anyway, I’ll make more next week and this time I’ll double the recipe.
I’ve never heard of salpicon before, but while looking for healthy beef dishes your recipe came up and I knew I had to give a try. It was amazingly and surprisingly delicious.
I ate the salad without any sides or carbs and it was satisfying.
My mom used to male salpicon de pollo when I was a kid, so I was looking for that recipe when I found yours. Now I’ll make beef salpicon instead :)