SalsasEasy

Pork Crackling in Red Salsa

Name: Pork Crackling in Red Salsa
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 250 g Pork crackling; 4 Tomato; 4 Dried guajillo chilli; 0.5 White onion; 2 Garlic cloves; 15 ml Vegetable oil; 1 to taste Salt; 2 sprigs Fresh epazote

30 min (10 prep + 20 cook) Easy 4 servings Nacional

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 20 Mar 2026 · Updated: 29 Mar 2026

Pork crackling braised in a red tomato and guajillo chilli sauce. A quick and hearty Mexican home-style stew.

About this recipe

Chicharron en salsa roja is a home-style stew where pieces of pork crackling are cooked in a tomato and guajillo chilli sauce until slightly softened.

History & Origin

Chicharron in salsa is one of the most popular everyday stews in Mexican cooking, found in food stalls, markets and home kitchens across the country. Crackling, pork skin fried until crispy and puffed, is a fundamental ingredient in Mexican cuisine. When cooked in sauce, the crackling absorbs the flavours of tomato and chillies, and its texture changes from crispy to soft and spongy. There are two main versions: in green salsa and in red salsa. The red version is more common in central and northern Mexico. Crackling in salsa is a quintessential market stall dish: economical, quick to prepare and extraordinarily tasty. It demonstrates the philosophy of popular Mexican cooking: with simple ingredients and good technique you can create something extraordinary.

Estimated cost

£5.10

Total cost

£1.28

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

340

Calories

16g

Protein

14g

Carbohydrates

24g

Fat

Fibre

620mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Rehydrate the guajillo chillies in hot water 10 minutes. Remove tallos and seeds.
2
Roast the tomatoes in a comal (flat griddle) hot until they are well chamuscados on all sides.
3
Blend the tomatoes roasted with the chillies hidratados, the onion, the garlic and a little water until you get a smooth sauce.
4
Heat the oil in a frying pan and frand the saltsa licuada 5 minutes until it changes colour and concentre.
💡 La sauce should freírse well for desarrollar all its flavour.
5
Trocea the pork crackling in pedazos medianos and add it a the sauce. Add the ramas of epazote and a little water if necessary.
6
Cook over medium heat 10-15 minutes. El pork crackling should suavizarse parcialmente pero conservar algo of texture. Serve with warm tortillas and rice.