Cuchifrito with Whole Lemon Salsa Verde

Cuchifrito or cochifritos, literally means fried pig, refers to foods in Spanish and Puerto Rican that are usually pork based and fried. In Spain, it means fried pork (usually suckling pig), but in Puerto Rico, it’s used for almost anything fried. They are commnely served with tropical juice or cold beer. Remove the excess liquid from pork belly after baking them. If you don’t get most of the moisture off the meat, it will cause the oil to pop and create a huge mess. I baked the pork belly the night before and let them dry overnight in the fridge. This will make them even more crispy. The salsa can be prepared a day ahead.

Cuchifrito with Whole Lemon Salsa Verde

adapted from Delicious

	Whole Lemon Salsa Verde
1.2 kg Pork belly without bones, cut into 3-4 cm chunks 4 Garlic cloves, peeled and minced 20 g Flat parsley, roughly chopped 75 ml White wine vinegar 100 ml Olive oil plus 1l for frying Black pepper	1 Small shallot, minced 1 1/2 tbsp White wine vinegar 1 tsp Sea salt 1 Organic lemon (preferably Meyer lemon) 3 tbsp Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp Capers, rinsed and roughly chopped 200 ml Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

Cut the pork belly into 3-4 cm chunks and put them in a large roasting pan. Add in minced garlic, roughly chopped parsley, olive oil, vinegar and a good grinding of black pepper. Mix well, then cover and leave to marinate overnight in the fridge.
The next day, remove pork belly from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 170C/340F. Cover the roasting pan with foil and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Drain the pork belly and place them on a sheet pan lined with paper towels. Use paper towels to remove any excess moisture on pork belly. Let pork belly cool for 30 minutes. Place it in the fridge, allowing them to dry overnight.
Make the salsa. Combine shallot, vinegar, and salt in a medium bowl and let stand 10 minutes to soften and lightly pickle shallot. Meanwhile, cut the lemon in half, remove seeds and thinly slice, then cut into very small triangles. Stir lemon, parsley, and capers into bowl with shallot mixture. Add oil and stir to combine. Set aside for 30 minutes while frying the pork belly.
Pour the oil for deep-frying into a deep pan over a medium-high heat and heat to 190C/375F. Fry pork belly in batches for 5-6 minutes until the pieces are really golden and crisp.
Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, then season with salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Once all the meat has been fried, serve with the salsa.