Salpicón De Res (Mexican Beef Salad)
This hearty Mexican Beef Salad, known as Salpicón De Res in Mexico, is a delicious meal anytime of day and a fantastic way to use up leftovers! It takes just 20 minutes to throw this all together!
If you love my slow cooker shredded beef tacos, you’re going to adore this recipe, which uses leftover meat. Just toss it altogether in a big bowl, whisk up the tangy dressing, and dinner is ready in 20 minutes. Yep, just 20 minutes! There’s no cooking, no reheating, just a little bit of chopping.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It uses leftover crockpot shredded beef, so there is no extra cooking involved.
- It is packed with protein and loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables.
- It is flexible. Swap the veggies, adjust the heat, make it your own.
What is Salpicón De Res?
The translation for Salpicón De Res is “medley of meat,” and it refers to this delicious salad with cold shredded beef, fresh veggies, and a simple lime vinaigrette. It’s popular across Northern Mexico. While it’s often made with flank steak or skirt steak, I like to use leftover shredded beef.
Ingredients
This is a brief overview of this yummy salad recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below.
- Shredded Beef Chuck Roast: Made with garlic, white vinegar, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, and Mexican seasonings like guajillo powder and Mexican oregano, this shredded beef is super flavorful. You’ll need about 2 cups of leftover beef for this salad.
- Lettuce: I like using romaine lettuce in this salad, but any firm lettuce will work.
- Carrots: You can use either shredded or chopped carrots.
- Tomatoes: I like the convenience of grape tomatoes, but chopped Roma tomatoes are great, too.
- Corn: I love adding leftover grilled corn to this salad, but you can use thawed frozen corn or canned corn just as well!
- Cucumber: My family likes English cucumbers because the skin is edible, and they have small seeds.
- Jalapeños: Look for bright green peppers. If they have small brown lines, called “corking”, they will have more intense heat than those that do not.
- Bell Peppers: Red, orange, or yellow bell peppers are slightly sweeter than green peppers. Any of them works great in this salad recipe.
- Avocado: Look for avocados that have a slight give. You don’t want them to be hard because they won’t be ripe, but squishy ones are over-ripe and may be bruised.
- Fresh Cilantro: I don’t care for cilantro, so I often serve this on the side for people to add themselves, or substitute fresh parsley.
- Pickled Red Onion: This is less common in traditional salpicon de res, but I think it adds a tangy bite to the salad.
- Limes: Fresh limes, both for keeping the avocado fresh and for dressing the salad, are best, but in a pinch, bottled lime juice will work.
Recipe Variations
Here are some ways to make this Mexican Beef Salad your own:
- Salpicón de Pollo: Swap the beef for shredded crockpot chicken. My Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken works great for this.
- Salpicón de Atún: Use canned tuna for a super quick, no-cook version. My husband loves this!
- Vegetarian: Add black beans or mushrooms in place of the beef.
- Spicy: Add a minced serrano pepper or a drizzle of chile de arbol salsa for extra heat.
- Cheesy: Crumble queso fresco or cotija over the top just before serving.
- Extra Crunchy: Sprinkle some plantain chips or even tortilla chips on top. You can also make a tostada by piling it onto a crispy corn tortilla.
Out of something you need? Check out our free printable ingredient substitutions!
Serving Suggestions
Try topping your Mexican Beef Salad with pico de gallo or your favorite salsa. This salad is also delicious with southwest salad dressing or avocado ranch if you’re looking for something different from the lime vinaigrette.
Related: If you love making your own salad dressings, check out this collection of homemade condiments.
Grab your Free copy
If you love quick and easy meals, you need this Lazy Dinners mini recipe book… we’re talking meals you can prep in 15 minutes or less!
Not ready to make this yummy salad yet?
When you do make it, please come back, leave a comment, and give me a 5-star rating below! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Want to add this recipe to your meal plan? Download our free printable meal plan here. And, be sure to check out all our meal plan ideas here.
Salpicón De Res (Mexican Beef Salad)
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Ingredients
Vinagrette
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 large lime
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano or dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 2 cups shredded beef
- 4-5 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups bell peppers any color
- 2 cups tomato
- 1 cup corn I like using leftover grilled corn when I have it.
- 2 cup cucumber chopped
- 2 jalapeños deseeded and thinly sliced or minced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro optional
- 1-2 limes sliced for garnish
- 1/4 cup pickled red onions
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, lime juice, and soy sauce.¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly to incorporate it.½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Stir in the remaining dressing ingredients.1 tablespoon fresh garlic, 1 teaspoon ground oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- In a large bowl, toss together the carrots and lettuce.4-5 cups romaine lettuce, 1 cup shredded carrots
- Add the rest of the vegetables (and fruits).2 cups bell peppers, 2 cups tomato, 1 cup corn, 2 cup cucumber, 2 jalapeños
- Top with shredded beef, cilantro or parsley, if using, and red onions.2 cups shredded beef, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, 1/4 cup pickled red onions
- Serve with the sliced avocado, lime wedges, and the vinaigrette.1-2 limes, 1 avocado
Notes
Ang’s Recipe Tips
- Use cold or room temperature beef (hot beef will make your salad wilted and soggy.)
- Fresh lime juice really makes a difference! You want that bright, tangy flavor, and sometimes bottled juice tastes bitter or flat.
- For extra flavor, add 1-2 tablespoons of the beef cooking liquid to the vinaigrette.
- Add avocado just before serving since it turns brown quickly.
Storage
To Store: Store your veggies and shredded meat separately in air-tight containers in the refrigerator. (These are my favorite airtight containers.) The beef will be good for 3-4 days from when you made it.
