Here is a delicious recipe to make fermented curtido, a delicious Salvadoran dish halfway between a sauerkraut and a slightly spicy relish!
Cabbage, carrot, onion and jalapeño blend together to create a tangy, crisp and slightly spicy condiment. Curtido is often served with pupusas, a Salvadoran flat bread made of corn and stuffed with meat or cheese.
Curtido is usually marinated with vinegar, but is even more delicious when simply fermented!
- Level of difficulty: easy
- Fermentation type: lactic
- Preparation time: 30 minutes
- Fermentation time: about a month

Fermented Curtido Recipe (Salvadoran Sauerkraut)
Ingredients
- 1 medium green cabbage (about 2.2lb)
- 200 g carrots (about 7oz)
- 1 yellow or red onion (3.5oz)
- ½ to 1 jalapeño (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons salt (or 2% of the total weight)
Steps
- Mince cabbage, jalapeño, onion and grate carrot.
- Put in a large bowl.
- Add salt and oregano and mix well.
- Massage for several minutes, until the brine comes out of the vegetables, or let stand about fifteen minutes.
- Compress everything in a fermentation jar. Cover with a fermented weight or a reserved cabbage leaf to keep the vegetables under the brine created by the vegetables.
- Close the lid not too tightly, to allow the gases to come out (or use an airlock).
- Leave to ferment for three to six weeks, to taste. After the first opening, store in the refrigerator.
Can be stored 1 year in the refrigerator.
Serve your tangy fermented curtido with pupusas, tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tostadas or any Latin American dish. Keep a jar for your next taco party!
Want to go further? Discover fermented cabbage recipes from around the world!