Pork and salsa verde is a winning combination and a classic in Mexican gastronomy. These pork belly tacos are inspired by that combination. The salsa is spicy and tangy, the pork belly is well..awesome and tender and the crunchy slaw brings freshness and texture. Pair that with the best corn tortilla in London and there’s really no room for error.
Pork Belly
-800g Pork Belly
-Sea salt
-Splash of olive oil
-½ cup water
-1 cup chicken stock
-1 Ancho chilli
*Set oven to 150°C
1 In a small bowl, soak the ancho chilli and reserve.
2 Take the pork belly and pat dry the whole piece. Special attention to the fat/skin side. Once it’s been dried, score the skin in a criss-cross pattern, about 1 cm apart. Season with plenty of sea salt.
3 Set an oven-safe pan on high heat with a light drizzle of olive oil. Place the pork belly directly onto the hot pan, skin side down and let it brown.
4 Remove from the heat and place the pork belly skin up. Add the chicken stock and the ancho chilli.
5 Place the pork belly inside the oven in the middle rack and cook uncovered for at least 2 hours.
6 Remove from the oven once the skin has a beautiful roasted colour. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before you slice.
Notes: The pork belly we used had a thin layer of fat/skin so it was ready in just under 2 hours, however, the cooking time will highly depend on how thick the pork belly you are using is. The pork belly should have an internal temperature of at least 165°C.
Salsa Verde
-5 to 6 Tomatillos from La Costeña
-1 Jalapeño
-¼ White onion
-2 Garlic cloves
-2 De Arbol chillies
-Handful of fresh coriander
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Olive oil
1 Place the jalapeño, onion, garlic and Arbol chillies if using in a hot skillet with no oil. Toast them on all sides paying close attention to the garlic cloves and Arbol chillies. You want these to get some colour but it is important to not let them burn. Remove them from the pan as soon as they are ready.
2 Blend all the ingredients with fresh coriander and the tomatillos straight from the tin can.
3 Add just a little bit of olive oil to the pan and return the salsa to it. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4 Add about a teaspoon of salt and a good shake of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Note: This salsa can be hot! A lot of it depends on how hot the jalapeño and the Arbol chillies are. You can add more tomatillos if needed. The result is a hot but very delicious salsa that you can store in a jar and use with these tacos and many other meals. Tip: If you don’t like hot salsas, you can remove the seeds from the jalapeno and skip the Arbol chillies. The tomatillos are the key ingredient here, so no need to skip on the salsa verde experience.
Extra salsa tip: If you are in a hurry and want to enjoy this or other tacos with a really good and authentic Mexican salsa verde, we highly recommend this one! Used by Mexicans, recommended by Mexicans! It really is that good.
Crunchy Slaw
-½ cup carrots thinly sliced
-½ cup white cabbage thinly sliced
-¼ cup red peppers thinly sliced
-¼ cup radishes thinly sliced
-3 spring onions thinly sliced
-1 jalapeño thinly sliced
-Small bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped
-½ lime juice
-Salt & black pepper to taste
-Black and white sesame seeds (optional)
1 Mix all the ingredients well. Season with lime juice and salt and pepper. Garnish with sesame seeds. The vegetables should be fresh and crunchy and not overly seasoned since the pork and salsa verde are so tasty. This crunchy slaw is meant to add freshness and texture.
To Serve:
1 Warm your corn tortillas using your preferred method and keep them in a tea towel. Find all you need to know about corn tortillas here.
2 Add a good amount of salsa verde to the tortilla followed by slices of pork belly.
3 Top with the crunchy slaw and enjoy!
Notes:
This recipe is heavily inspired by Puerco en salsa verde or pork in salsa verde. In that recipe, pork is cooked in the salsa until tender. We actually added the cooked slices of pork belly to a pan and then added salsa and let it simmer for a few minutes. It is equally delicious! We highly encourage you to try different versions.
We prefer the suggested version of layering the ingredients because you can taste them separately and to us, that added so much to the explosion of flavours and overall experience.
The key to the success here is the salsa and the tortillas. There are many ways to prepare pork belly and the result is always super tender and tasty. Add some salsa verde and tortillas and there is just no chance of failure!
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