Ingredients
Tortillas
- 400 gmasa harina
- 1 tspsalt
- about 320 ml warm water
- 2 tbspplain flour, optional
Topping
- 1chicken, poached and shredded
- 1 tspachiote or recado rojo
- 1 tspdried oregano
To dress
- shredded cabbage or lettuce
- sliced tomato
- sliced avocado
Pickled onion
- 2red onions, thinly sliced
- juice of 4 limes, or 150 ml vinegar
- 1 tspsalt
- 1habanero, sliced
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- habanero sauce
Directions
- Make the pickled onions first, because they need at least an hour. Slice the onions very thinly and pour boiling water over them, then drain immediately. That brief scald takes the raw harshness out while keeping the crunch, and it makes them turn a brighter pink in the lime.
- Cover them with lime juice and salt, add the sliced habanero, and leave them at least an hour. They turn bright pink as the acid works on the onion, which is exactly what should happen.
- Mix the masa harina and salt with warm water into a soft dough. It should feel like soft playdough, smooth and pliable, and it should not crack when you press the edge with your thumb.
- Rest the dough 15 minutes covered with a damp cloth. Divide it into 12 balls and keep them covered, because masa dries out within a minute of exposure. Press each ball between two sheets of plastic into a round about 12 cm across and 3 mm thick.
- Press them slightly thicker than a normal tortilla, because they need enough body to inflate. Slide a tortilla in and immediately spoon hot oil over the top, or press it gently under the surface with a slotted spoon.
- Fry it 1 to 2 minutes a side until golden and crisp at the edges but still slightly soft in the middle. Do not fry it to a hard crisp. Drain them on a rack rather than paper. Toss the shredded chicken with achiote and oregano and warm it through. Top each one generously with the pink pickled onions.
- Serve immediately with habanero sauce on the side. They must be eaten within minutes, because the fried tortilla softens under the toppings.
Technique
- Panuchos are the same tortilla with black bean paste sealed inside the puff.
- Turkey is used as often as chicken in the Yucatán.
- The pickled onions keep a week in the fridge and improve.
Substitutions
- Shop-bought corn tortillas, though they will not puff the same way.
- Vinegar in place of lime juice for the onions.
Variations
- Panuchos, with a bean layer inside.
- With cochinita pibil in place of chicken.
- With turkey, which is the Yucatecan standard.
History
Puffed fried tortillas topped with chicken and pickled onion, brought north by Yucatec Maya refugees who fled the Caste War after 1847.
Frequently asked questions
What is Salbutes?
Salbutes is a street food from Belize: puffed fried tortillas with chicken, cabbage, tomato. Puffed fried tortillas topped with chicken and pickled onion, brought north by Yucatec Maya refugees who fled the Caste War after 1847.
How long does Salbutes take to make?
Salbutes takes 40 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 salbutes. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Salbutes?
Yes, within limits. Shop-bought corn tortillas, though they will not puff the same way. Vinegar in place of lime juice for the onions.
What is the most important thing to get right in Salbutes?
Fry it 1 to 2 minutes a side until golden and crisp at the edges but still slightly soft in the middle. Do not fry it to a hard crisp. Drain them on a rack rather than paper. Toss the shredded chicken with achiote and oregano and warm it through. Top each one generously with the pink pickled onions.
