I love the combination of pork and tropical fruit. It shouldn’t work quite as well as it does, but the richness of sausage loves something juicy and sharp alongside it. Here, that means a very good mango and tomato salsa.
These sausage smash tacos take the idea of a smash taco and give it a slightly different direction. You spread the sausage meat directly onto the tortilla, then cook it meat-side down so it gets properly crisp and golden. The tortilla catches all those lovely sausage juices as it cooks, while the edges become wonderfully crunchy.
The salsa does a lot of work. Sweet mango, ripe tomatoes, lime, chilli and coriander keep it fresh, while the coriander crema brings a cool, creamy contrast. I like a few pickled red onions over the top too – partly because I put them on almost everything, and partly because that little extra hit of acidity is exactly what the tacos need.
These sausage smash tacos are very good with a cold drink alongside them. I made them to go with a Sarti Spritz – the tropical fruitiness of the drink works particularly well with the mango and the gently spiced sausage. You can find the recipe for that here.
SAUSAGE SMASH TACOS, CORIANDER CREMA, MANGO & TOMATO SALSA
A very good dinner, indeed.
Ingredients
- 250 g plain sausages (if using vegetarian ones, make sure they are the type with the casing)
- 1 tsp chipotle paste
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 6 small wheat tortilla
- neutral oil for frying
- to serve: pickled red onion, extra fresh coriander, wedges of lime
Coriander Crema
- large handful coriander leaves only
- 1 small garlic clove minced
- juice 1/2 lime
- 125 g sour cream
Mango & Tomato Salsa
- 1 mango very finely diced
- 2 large-ish tomatoes seeds removed & very finely diced
- small handful coriander finely chopped
- 1/2 small red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 red chilli finely chopped
- juice of 1/2 lime
Instructions
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Start by making the coriander crema. Combine the coriander, garlic, lime juice, 25g of the sour cream and a pinch of salt in a small food-processor. Give everything a blitz, until your mixture is completely smooth, then stir through the rest of the sour cream (don’t blend it again!). Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
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Next, you can make the salsa. Combine the diced mango, tomato, coriander, red onion, chilli, lime juice and a good pinch of salt and black pepper in a bowl. Give everything a mix, then taste and adjust the seasoning and/or lime juice, if needed.
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Next, remove the casing from the sausages and discard. Combine the sausage meat, chipotle paste, smoked paprika, ground cumin and garlic powder in a mixing bowl and give it a good mix (you may need to use your hands here). Divide the sausage meat into 6, then use a spatula to spread it evenly onto one side of each tortilla. Season the top with a little salt and black pepper.
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Heat a little glug of neutral oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat (you can use 2 or 3 pans here, to get them all served at the same time). Once hot, fry the tacos, sausage meat side down, for 3-5 minutes, pressing them down with a spatula to make them extra crispy. Once the sausage meat is golden and crisp on the edges, flip the taco over and cook for a further minute or so, just to crisp it up.
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Serve the tacos drizzled with the coriander crema, and topped with the mango and tomato salsa, a few pickled red onions, and a little extra coriander. Finish with a good grind of black pepper. A little extra squeeze of lime over them is nice, too.
Find loads more of my dinner recipes here!
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