Soup season is year-round in my house, and this Sopa de Salchichon is a go-to Puerto Rican classic. Made with thick cut salami, fresh sofrito, fideos aka thin noodles, potatoes, carrots and other aromatics, this soup is a hearty and comforting — just like your abuela’s hugs.
What is Sopa de Salchichon?
In the world of soups, most countries have their version of chicken soup. In Puerto Rico, they get creative. They have beef soups/stews, iguana soups, seafood soups, and in this case — Salami Soup.
Sopa de Salchichon is a flavorful soup made with hard salami, the type you find in a cased log. It has a very savory and smokey taste. Some people compare it to its distant cousin, the Italian genoa salami.
The great thing about Salchichon is that it’s precooked, so it makes it a convenient ingredient to include in soup.
Ingredients
A classic Puerto Rican Sopa de Salchichon has less than 10 ingredients, but don’t let that discourage you into thinking this soup lacks depth of flavor. Here’s what I use:
- Chopped salchichon
- Homemade achiote oil
- Homemade sofrito
- Fideos
- Chicken bouillon paste
- Tomato sauce
- Golden potatoes
- Carrots
- Onions
- Garlic
- Adobo seasoning
- Dried oregano
- Bay leaf
Preparation
Making a delicious Sopa de Salchichon is easy! It’s a labor of love that takes a little bit of patience but worth all the flavor. It starts with these simple steps:
- Build a flavorful base of cooked onions, garlic, and sofrito.
- Simmer the aromatics in homemade achiote oil instead of basic olive oil or vegetable oil. This ensures maximum flavor and color in the soup.
- Next, incorporate tomato sauce to add acidity and boost color, followed by seasonings like adobo, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes.
- Now, its time to add the salchichon. Slice it into half-inch rounds and then quarter them.
- Cook the salchichon for roughly 7 minutes until the its fat begins to render down.
- Build the soup broth by adding water and mixing in two tablespoons of chicken bouillon paste. Throw in a bay leaf and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once bubbling, add your sliced carrots, diced golden potatoes and fideos.
- Reduce the heat to low and slowly simmer into the veggies and pasta are tender.
Tips & Tricks
A first thought, many people may think a soup is boring and lacks depth of flavor, but when it comes to Puerto Rican Sopa de Salchichon, there is nothing boring about it.
Below are my tips and tricks that make this soup a certified flavor bomb.
- Use homemade ingredients, when possible. I love using my homemade achiote oil, sofrito and sazon seasoning to give this soup a more tailored and natural flavor.
- Purchase high-quality Dominican Salami. I know what you’re think, but trust me. Although this is a Puerto Rican recipe, Dominican salami is top-tier for this soup. It may have a different name, but it’s the same ingredient. I highly recommend the El Latino brand or this option.
- Can’t find fideos? Don’t panic, you can use thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta. Yes, fideos are the authentic choice for this soup, but once you cook other pasta alternatives the texture is barely noticeable.
- Like a hearty soup? Add corn or hard boiled eggs. Corn is a popular ingredient in Sopa de Salchichon. It’s perfect for absorbing a lot of flavor.
Sopa de Salchichon con Fideos
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon achiote oil
- ½ cup diced onions
- ⅓ cup sofrito
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 oz tomato sauce
- 1 pound salchichon (chopped)
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 6 small golden potatoes (quartered)
- 10 cups water
- 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon paste
- 8 oz fideos (or thin angel hair pasta)
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- On medium low heat, add homemade achiote oil along with onions, garlic, and sofrito.
- Slowly simmer the aromatics for roughly 5 minutes until fragant
- Next, incorporate tomato sauce to add acidity and boost color. Then, mix in seasonings to taste.
- Now, its time to add the salchichon. Slice it into half-inch rounds and then quarter them.
- Cook the salchichon for roughly 7 minutes until the fat begins to render down.
- Build the soup broth by adding water and mixing in two tablespoons of chicken bouillon paste. Throw in a bay leaf and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once bubbling, add your sliced carrots, diced golden potatoes, and fideos.
- Reduce the heat to low and slowly simmer for 20 minutes or until the veggies and pasta are tender.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with tostones, white rice, or avocado.
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