Torta Ahogada (Guadalajara Drowned Pork Sandwich)
Crusty rolls stuffed with crisp carnitas, drenched in a spicy red salsa and topped with sharp pickled onions.
Made with Salsa roja (cooked red salsa) and Pickled red onions (cebollas encurtidas) and Carnitas (slow cooked pork). Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time30 min
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £3.21 a head
- Oven180°C (160°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Put the rolls on a tray and warm them for 5 minutes until the crust is crisp.
5 min - 2
Make the drowning sauce: in a small pan, heat your ready made salsa roja (see the base recipe) with the water and the chiles de arbol for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the arbol chillies have softened and the sauce is thinner and spicier.
8 min - 3
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the carnitas and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning, until hot all the way through and crisp at the edges.
6 min - 4
Split the rolls lengthways, leaving a hinge, and scoop a little of the crumb from the centre to make a pocket.
- 5
Fill each roll with the carnitas, and add the pickled onions.
- 6
Set each torta in a deep bowl and ladle the hot salsa generously over the top until it is truly drowned. Eat at once with a knife, fork and napkins.
Tips
- Use a sturdy roll with a crisp crust. Soft supermarket rolls collapse under the salsa, while a good bolillo or ciabatta roll holds up.
- Serve the extra salsa on the side so people can add as much as they dare.
- Torta ahogada is traditionally served with two salsas: a mild tomato one for drowning and a very hot arbol one at the table.
Storing and freezing
Eat straight away. Keep the pork and salsa separately in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Questions
Where does torta ahogada come from?
It is a signature dish of Guadalajara in Jalisco. The bread there, birote salado, is firm enough to survive being drowned in salsa.
What bread is closest in the UK?
A crusty ciabatta roll or a small part-baked baguette. Avoid soft burger buns, which turn to mush.
Can I make it less spicy?
Yes. Leave out the chiles de arbol and just warm the salsa roja with the water. The result is a mild, tomatoey drowning sauce.
More made with salsa roja (cooked red salsa)
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.