Shucos

Ingredients

The sausages

• 6long hot dog sausages
• or chorizo, or longaniza
• 6long soft rolls
• split lengthways
• butter, for the rolls

The cabbage

• half a white cabbage
• finely shredded
• 1carrot, grated
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoonvinegar
• salt

The guacamole

• 3ripe avocados
• 1small onion, finely chopped
• juice of 2 limes
• chopped coriander
• salt

The sauces

• mustard
• mayonnaise
• ketchup
• hot sauce, optional
• all applied generously

Directions

1. Turn them so every side is properly cooked. Make it close to when you plan to serve it. Press cling film onto the surface if it must wait. Shred the cabbage as finely as you possibly can.
2. Use a sharp knife or a mandolin for that. Take real care if you use a mandolin. Toss the cabbage with lime juice, vinegar and salt. Add the grated carrot for colour and sweetness. Toss it all together thoroughly with your hands.
3. Let it stand for about twenty minutes before using. Salt and acid draw water out of the cabbage. Twenty minutes is about right for that to happen. Drain off any liquid that has collected before using. Squeeze the cabbage gently if it is very wet. Do not squeeze it dry, since some moisture is good. Mash the avocado roughly with a fork in a bowl.
4. Leave it slightly chunky rather than entirely smooth. A completely smooth purée slides out of the roll. Mash it enough to spread but keep some pieces. Stir in the chopped onion, lime juice and coriander. Chop the onion very finely rather than coarsely. Large onion pieces are harsh in a soft guacamole.
5. Add the lime generously, since it stops the browning. Season it well with salt and taste it properly. Taste it and add more until the flavour lifts. It should taste good on its own before it goes in. Grill the sausages over a moderate heat until done. Give them about eight minutes, turning regularly. Toast them cut side down on the same grill. Give them about one minute until lightly golden.
6. Toast the rolls while the sausages finish cooking. Everything should be hot and ready at the same moment. Spread guacamole generously on the base of the roll. It forms a barrier between bread and hot sausage. Lay the hot grilled sausage onto the guacamole.
7. Lay it along the length of the roll. It should sit down into the guacamole layer. Press it gently so it settles into place. Pile the dressed cabbage over the top of the sausage. It should be visible piled above the roll. Add it to your own taste at the stand. Wrap the shuco in paper and eat it immediately.
8. Assemble each one to order rather than in advance. The cabbage keeps two days refrigerated. Make the guacamole fresh each time you serve them.

Technique

• Build it in order: guacamole on the bread first, then the sausage, then cabbage and sauces. The guacamole underneath forms a barrier that stops the bread going soggy from the sausage fat, and means every bite reaches the avocado — building it the other way round works far less well.
• The cabbage is a light lime-and-vinegar pickle rather than a creamy coleslaw, with no mayonnaise in it at all; its sharpness cuts the fat of the sausage and it is doing genuinely real work. Let it stand twenty minutes, then drain off the liquid before using or the bread goes soggy.
• Mayonnaise is invisible once spread and contains egg, so say clearly it is there. Sausages must be cooked right through with no pink remaining.

Substitutions

• Chorizo and longaniza versions are equally popular, and some stands put several sausages in one roll — all are genuinely made in Guatemala.
• A griddle pan replaces a grill for both sausages and rolls. Use a long soft roll rather than a crusty one, since a crusty roll tears and spills the filling.

Variations

• Shred the cabbage as finely as you can, since fine shreds fit into the roll while coarse chunks make it impossible to eat. Keep the guacamole slightly chunky rather than smooth, as a completely smooth purée just slides out.
• Toast the buttered cut faces of the rolls on the grill for about a minute while the sausages finish, so everything is hot at the same moment — a shuco is assembled and eaten immediately rather than left to sit.
• Mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup all go on together in stripes rather than choosing one, which is genuinely standard, with hot sauce offered separately. Be generous throughout: shuco means messy in Guatemalan Spanish, and that is where the name comes from.

History

Guatemala City street hot dogs loaded with guacamole, cabbage and sauces, sold from stands around Avenida Las Americas since the 1970s.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shucos?

Shucos is a street food from Guatemala: guatemalan hot dogs with guacamole, cabbage, and salsas. Guatemala City street hot dogs loaded with guacamole, cabbage and sauces, sold from stands around Avenida Las Americas since the 1970s.

How long does Shucos take to make?

Shucos takes 30 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes makes 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Shucos?

Yes, within limits. Chorizo and longaniza versions are equally popular, and some stands put several sausages in one roll — all are genuinely made in Guatemala. A griddle pan replaces a grill for both sausages and rolls. Use a long soft roll rather than a crusty one, since a crusty roll tears and spills the filling.

What is the most important thing to get right in Shucos?

Turn them so every side is properly cooked. Make it close to when you plan to serve it. Press cling film onto the surface if it must wait. Shred the cabbage as finely as you possibly can.