Salpicón de Venado

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Salpicón de venado, a shredded venison salad with lots of fresh vegetables, is a specialty of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It’s easy to make, cooling and perfect for hot weather.

A platter of salpicón de venado, shredded venison salad.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Pronounced something like “sahl-pee-CONE,” salpicón basically means “hodgepodge” or a random mix of things. There are a number of dishes called salpicón in Latin America, including a salsa in Yucatan.

The most common version is salpicón de res, with beef, but you can see this done with shredded chicken as well as fish and seafood. The cool thing about salpicón de venado is that it’s a real dish — I didn’t just modify a beef recipe for venison.

Actually there are two versions of this venison salad. One is called dzik, and it’s from the Yucatan. I have a dzik recipe here on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. The other is this recipe, and it’s from Tamaulipas, the state of Mexico that borders Brownsville, Texas.

This rendition of salpicón de venado is a little simpler than the Yucatecan version, and it’s normally done with whitetail deer. I used nilgai, from a hunt I did in Brownsville just across the border. Beef or any other kind of venison will work fine.

What Cuts are Best for Salpicón?

I used nilgai brisket because that cut has a very defined grain to it, and it’s lean — unlike beef brisket. That said, if you get a beef brisket trimmed of most of the fat, you’re good to go.

Other excellent cuts would be the eye of round from the hind leg, the skirt steak off a large animal like elk, moose, or beef of course. Flank steak works really well, too.

If you need to, chuck roast will also work for salpicón.

Close up of venison salad, salpicon de venado, in a platter.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Cooking the Meat

This is super easy. You don’t brown the venison or beef. It just goes into a pot with some aromatics — onion, garlic, bay leaves, etc. — and simmers until it wants to fall apart.

Or you can use an Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for 25 minutes or so, then do the natural release of pressure for 15 minutes. If you have a slow cooker, set it on high and go to work because it’ll take about six to eight hours.

Remove the meat from wherever it was cooked, let it cool a bit, then shred it finely. This can be done up to a day or two in advance.

Making the Salpicón

Once you have your shredded venison, beef, goat, bison, lamb, or whatever, making the salpicón is super easy: Chop vegetables, add lime juice and olive oil, and you’re good to go.

What vegetables? In the traditional Tamaulipas salpicón de venado, it’s romaine lettuce, serrano chiles, minced white onions, cilantro and diced radishes. Always lime juice and sometimes olive oil.

My rendition of this venison salad hews pretty close to the traditional, only I added some cucumbers from the garden and some random hot peppers because I didn’t have serranos.

All this said, you do you with your salpicón. Avocado is a good addition, as are ripe tomatoes. I like to add a hit of Mexican oregano, too.

I’ve seen mint instead of cilantro, habaneros instead of serranos and cabbage instead of romaine lettuce.

Storing the Venison Salad

Fair warning: Salpicón doesn’t age well, so I like to shred tons of meat beforehand, then make batches of salad as I go. The meat will keep a week.

If you liked this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below; I’d love to hear how everything went. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me at huntgathercook.

Venison salad, salpicon, in a platter.
5 from 14 votes

Venison Salad, Salpicón de Venado

Use brisket, chuck, flank, skirt or eye of round for this, from really any red meat animal, from beef and bison to deer, elk, pronghorn or moose.
Course: lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients 

VENISON

  • 2 pounds venison (see headnotes)
  • Salt
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 tablespoon allspice berries, cracked
  • 1/2 onion, sliced

SALAD

  • 6 ribs romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 3 radishes, diced
  • 1 to 4 serrano chiles, diced
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 4 limes, juiced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions 

  • Put all the venison ingredients in a large pot and cover with water by about 2 inches. Bring to a simmer. Taste the water, and add more salt if needed. Simmer, covered, until the meat can be easily shredded, about 2 to 4 hours.
  • Fish the meat out of the pot and let it cool a bit. Shred finely with two forks or your fingers. This can be done up to 3 days before you make the salad.
  • To make the salad, chop all the vegetables, toss with the shredded meat, and then dress with salt, olive oil and the lime juice. Serve cool.

Notes

Once shredded, the meat will keep in the fridge a week. Once the salad is made, however, it needs to be eaten that day. It will wilt overnight. 

Nutrition

Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 646mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 261IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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11 Comments

  1. Great recipe, whole family enjoyed it. Very fresh. I took your advice and cleaned up my garden peppers and added the optional tomatoes since they are peaking right now. Allspice flavor cut through nicely on the meat and the instapot method made it doable on a weeknight.

  2. Shredded some frozen pulled pork and crisped in the oven with milk, oj and spices carnitas style for the meat. Added avocado, grape tomatoes, some mint, sweet onion and then followed the recipe. Sprinkled some cojita on top. Epic summer salad as an appetizer or main. Really excellent, Hank!

  3. I have several cups of water left over from cooking baby Bella mushrooms. (No seasoning, just the mushrooms were in there.) Would that work as the water in this? Or would it throw off the balance of flavors or introduce an unwanted flavor to the dish?

  4. So much like a Thai beef salad. I love how common food ideas are around the world. Another great twist. Thanks Hank!

  5. If I only have ground allspice can I sub, and if so, what amount? I’m not sure one recipe warrants yet another spice jar in the rack.

  6. I love most of Hank’s recipes. Love how he exposes us less traveled to regional dishes of the places he visits!!!

  7. I’m looking forward to trying this. I had something similar in El Paso back in the 90’s and it was amazing.