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The frita cubana is a popular Cuban-style hamburger, made with ground beef and pork chorizo, topped with fries, onions, lettuce, and a spicy ketchup-based sauce. The meat is marinated with Cuban spices and can be thickened with breadcrumbs or egg. The burger is traditionally served on Cuban bread and is a popular street food in Cuba and South Florida.
In Cuba and some of its American outposts such as Miami, a popular style of hamburger is called a frita cubana. Blending more complex and distinctly Cuban spices, the dish is just as, if not more, popular with Cubans as the more standardized and prevalent Western version. Bunted with Cuban bread or even the bland, white-enriched variety, this burger builds a patty of ground beef and thick pork chorizo, then topped with fries, onions, lettuce, and a spicy dressing to ketchup base.
The meat used in a traditional frita is often a blend of ground beef and ground pork or chorizo. Many chefs baste the meat with some variety of grated onion, minced garlic, paprika, cumin, Worcestershire and ketchup, and then let it marinate for a few hours before grilling the patties. Bread crumbs or an egg can be used to thicken the texture of the burger, but shouldn’t be added until just before grilling.
The blend of spices in the meat isn’t the only uniquely Cuban characteristic of the frita. Another distinctly Cuban component is its generous layer of fries. This is the theme of some indigenous sandwiches, such as the pan de bistec, which replaces ground meats with seasoned steak.
The lettuce and sliced onion atop the frita is common to many Western burgers. The salsa, however, is a different story. A hot ketchup sauce is the most commonly used condiment when putting the frita together. The sauce mixes some water, vinegar and tomato paste with more paprika, garlic and cumin and also some sugar, salt and often some pepper flakes or chili oil. It is brought to a boil and then simmered over low heat for at least 10 minutes. Many Cubans argue that without this sauce, a Cuban hamburger would not be complete.
Some restaurateurs use simple white bread rolls to wrap their frita, but connoisseurs tend to prefer Cuban bread, which has a tougher skin and saltier flavor. Another variation is a creamier sauce that adds a little milk and thousand island sauce to the ketchup and other ingredients. Some chefs even grill the onions or add another layer with tomato slices.
Roadside stands and restaurants in Cuba, Miami and other South Florida cities sell fritas as if they were hot dogs or gyros. These chefs often recommend not skimming the sauce and using a fresh Cuban bun. Using reduced chips is also important, as thicker chips may not have a relatively crunchy texture.
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