Protein: 
Origin: Peru, South American
Method: Stovetop
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This wonderful combination of tender sirloin, spicy pepper sauce, and crispy fries is a dish I can't believe is not more well known outside of Peru. Lomo Saltado is like poutine with a South American kick. I love this dish because it showcases the melting pot that is Peruvian cuisine while also blending modern and ancient cooking. What began as a Cantonese-Peruvian fusion dish, has become one of Peru's culinary trademarks.
If you are looking for more South American dishes then be sure to check out these Argentinian Steak Empanadas and one of our absolute favorites, Brazilian Picanha.
Making the Lomo Saltado
Gather your ingredients and prepare the marinade
The marinade for the Loma Saltado it fairly simple, consisting of white vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, salt, black pepper, cumin, and oregano.
Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
Slice the sirloin steak
Lomo Saltado is typically made with sirloin steak. We have made this with top and bottom sirloin and even bison sirloin (pictured below) and all have turned out great.
The sirloin steak is a fairly common cut in the U.S. and comes from the sirloin sub-primal. Typically it is divided into a top and bottom sirloin with the top sirloin being a more prized and tender cut.
The bottom sirloin gets a lot more work as it sits closer to the back legs of the cow, so it tends to be tougher. If you see a steak simply labeled as "sirloin steak", it probably comes from the bottom sirloin. Still, both top and bottom sirloin can be cooked into some great food if you know what you are dealing with.
For this recipe, simply slice the sirloin steak against the grain into thin strips.
Add the sirloin strips into the marinade and marinate for 15-30 minutes.
Prepare the other ingredients
Thinly slice the red onion and measure out the remaining ingredients for the Loma Saltado.
Cook the Loma Saltado
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the steak with the marinade into the pan and cook until browned but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan, then add the red onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and browned. Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the garlic and aji amarillo paste and stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minute.
Add the tomato and cilantro to the Lomo Saltado and cook for another 5-7 minutes trying not to break up the tomatoes.
Next, stir in the fries and toss gently to coat the fries in the sauce. Cook for about 1 minute. You can use store bought fries cooked per the package instructions, or better yet use our Always Crispy French Fries.
Finally, remove the Lomo Saltado from the heat and serve warm. Top with some additional cilantro. Traditionally loma saltado is served along side some white rice. For the best version ever, top with a little aji verde (recipe can be found here).
📖 Recipe
Peruvian Lomo Saltado
Equipment
- oven
- pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound Sirloin Steak sliced
- ½ Red Onion thinly sliced
- 2 Tab Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Tomato sliced
- 1 Tab Garlic Squeeze or 2 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 1 Tab Aji Pepper Paste or Sauce
- 2 Tab Cilantro
- ½ pound French Fries Or more to taste. Cooked to package directions.
Marinade
- 2 Tab Vinegar white or apple cider
- 2 Tab Soy Sauce
- 1 Tab Olive Oil
- 1 tea Cumin
- 1 tea Black Pepper
- ½ tea Oregano
- ¼ tea Salt
Instructions
- Thinly slice your red onion and slice the sirloin steak against the grain.
- Mix the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Add the sirloin to the marinade, and let the meat marinate for about 15-30 minutes.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the steak with the marinade into the pan and cook until browned but not cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan, then add the red onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and browned.
- Add the garlic, and aji amarillo paste and stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the tomato and cook for another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally and avoid breaking up the tomato.
- Stir in the fries, and cilantro. Toss gently to coat the fries in the sauce, and cook for about 1 minute.
- Serve warm, traditionally with some white rice.
Nutrition
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Javier
Very similar to the real lomo saltado, but not the real thing. For starters the original recipe doesn't require the meat the be marinated
Nor that it has white vinegar or soy sauce
Did someone gave you that recipe or did you came up with those changes by yourself?
Carne Diem
Thank you for your comment. Most of the versions of lomo saltado that I have tried and seen include soy sauce and a vinegar of some sort, tracing back to the Chinese roots of the original dish. You are correct, the dish does not require the meat to marinated but we prefer the extra flavor imparted with a very brief marinade.