Authentic Choripan Recipe (Chorizo Sandwich)
Choripan is a simple chorizo sandwich with chimichurri and maybe salsa. It's Argentine street food, incredibly flavorful and unforgettable!
Servings 6 sandwiches
Ingredients
For the sandwiches:
- 6 chorizos
- 6 French bread buns or cut a large baguette
- Salsa criolla optional (recipe below)
- Chimichurri sauce optional
For the salsa:
- ½ large red or yellow onion diced
- 1 large tomato seeded and diced
- ¼ red pepper deveined, seeded and finely diced
- ½ cup fresh parsley loosely packed, chopped
- 3-4 tablespoons of oil
- 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper a few fresh grindings
Instructions
For the sandwiches:
- Grill the chorizos in the grill, either outside or inside. I sometimes use a small electric oven. If they start to sputter, prick them a few times with a fork to release the fat.
- If using the stove grill or oven, it should take at least 20 minutes at a medium heat. Let it cook thoroughly, you don’t want raw chorizo. Open it, butterfly style, and sear it for a few minutes. You can also leave them whole, but I like it to be charred as much as possible, that's why I butterfly it.
- I like to warm the bread, either by popping them a few minutes in the oven or on the grill, but it’s not really necessary if you like the bread and it’s very fresh.
- Open the bread in two, add some salsa, put half or the whole butterflied chorizo on top (depending on the size of the bread), some chimichurri and more salsa.
- Top with the remaining bread.
For the salsa criolla:
- Put the diced onion, tomato and red pepper in a bowl.
- Add vinegar, salt, olive oil and black pepper to taste, adjusting it to your palate.
- Add chopped parsley. Mix well.
Notes
Type of chorizo sausage: use mixed sausages with pork and beef, ideally 70-30%.
Use crusty French bread, not soft buns. As an appetizer, use small breads and add half a chorizo per sandwich.
If you barbecue them outside, they should take 20-30 minutes to be done, half on each side, so that some fat is rendered and the skin is crisp. Pierce them a few times with a fork before grilling so they don't burst in the grill.
Butterfly chorizos: when they are almost done, open in half lengthwise, and grill them a little longer, cut side down.
