Salchicha

Salchicha is a Spanish word for sausage, and its exact form varies: it may be a fresh sausage that needs cooking or a ready-to-eat cooked sausage. Check whether it is sold raw or cooked before preparing it.

Brown it gently in a frying pan over medium heat, turning often; add a splash of water and cover the pan if the outside is colouring before the centre is cooked. Cook pork or beef sausage to 71 °C in the centre, or poultry sausage to 74 °C.

Only if the packaging says it is ready to eat. Fresh salchicha made from minced meat needs thorough cooking; don’t taste it raw, and wash your hands and utensils after handling it.

Keep fresh, uncooked salchicha in a sealed container on the bottom shelf and use it within 1–2 days. Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly and eat them within 3–4 days; freeze either for longer storage.

Slice cooked salchicha into a tortilla, add it to a tomato-based pasta sauce, or serve it with beans and rice. For a quick one-pan meal, brown it with onions and peppers, then add cooked beans.

Use another fresh sausage with a similar size and seasoning; cook it to the same safe centre temperature. For a meat-free option, choose a plant-based sausage and follow its cooking instructions.

Salchichón is a cured, air-dried sausage, while fresh salchicha is generally cooked before eating. Salchichón has 25.8 g protein per 100 g, compared with 13 g in salchicha.