Chorizo in Cider (Chorizo a la Sidra)
Spicy Spanish chorizo seared until the fat renders, then simmered in dry Asturian hard cider until the sauce turns rich and tangy. A classic sidrería tapa, best mopped up with crusty bread.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Prepare the chorizo
Slice the chorizo into rounds about 1 cm thick. With the tip of a knife, score a shallow cross on each round, or prick it a few times with a fork. This lets the fat render out faster and allows the cider to soak into the meat as it cooks.
- 500 g chorizo
✅ Done when: the chorizo is sliced and lightly scored on both sides
Sear to render the fat
Heat the olive oil in a wide shallow pan or cazuela over medium heat. Add the chorizo in a single layer and cook for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and the orange fat has run into the pan. This browning step builds most of the flavour, so don't rush it.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
✅ Done when: the chorizo is browned on both sides and has released a pool of red-orange fat
Add the cider
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Simmer to reduce
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Serve bubbling hot
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Prepare the chorizo
Slice the chorizo into rounds about 1 cm thick. With the tip of a knife, score a shallow cross on each round, or prick it a few times with a fork. This lets the fat render out faster and allows the cider to soak into the meat as it cooks.
- 500 g chorizo
✅ Done when: the chorizo is sliced and lightly scored on both sides
Sear to render the fat
Heat the olive oil in a wide shallow pan or cazuela over medium heat. Add the chorizo in a single layer and cook for 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and the orange fat has run into the pan. This browning step builds most of the flavour, so don't rush it.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
✅ Done when: the chorizo is browned on both sides and has released a pool of red-orange fat
Add the cider
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Simmer to reduce
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Serve bubbling hot
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The Story Behind the Dish
Asturias is cider country: cool, green, and lined with apple orchards instead of vineyards. Long before wine was common there, dry natural cider was the everyday drink, and cooks naturally began simmering local chorizo in it, since the tangy, slightly funky cider cuts through the richness of the cured sausage.
The dish became a fixture of the sidrería, the cider houses where cider is poured from a height into wide glasses and shared tapas keep the drinking going. Chorizo a la sidra, served bubbling in its own little cazuela, is one of the first things to arrive at the table.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It pairs two of Asturias's proudest products, chorizo and cider, in one pan, and the simmering turns a simple cured sausage into something saucy, savoury and made for sharing.
💡 Fun Fact
In traditional Asturian sidrerías, cider is poured, or 'escanciado', from above the head into a wide glass to aerate it; the server then hands the glass straight to a drinker, who should finish it in one go before it goes flat.
Asturias, northern Spain
43.36°N, -5.85°W
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