Lomo saltado is a classic beef stir from from Peru with marinated beef strips quickly stir fried with French fries and lots of vegetables. So delicious!
Lomo Saltado Recipe (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry with French Fries)
We're cooking up an amazing Beef Stir Fry dish in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. We love a good stir fry here, with lots of sliced beef, vegetables, spicy peppers and so much more.
They're easy to make and they always satisfy that spicy food craving we all have. This particular stir fry comes to us from Peru. It's called Lomo Saltado and I think you're going to love it.
What is Lomo Saltado?
Lomo saltado is a Peruvian dish of strips of beef that are marinated in a soy sauce base, then quickly stir fried with peppers, red onion, tomatoes and crispy french fries. Yes, I did say french fries.
It's a classic dish, evolved from the many different cultural influences that make up diverse Peru, sort of a Chinese-Peruvian stir fry made with more local ingredients.
In fact, Peru is known for it's "Chifa cuisine", which is a unique fusion of food culture brought from Chinese immigrants that combined Chinese cooking with Peruvian ingredients.
The Chinese influence is clear from the soy sauce and cooking technique, and the adoption of local Peruvian foods, like Peruvian potatoes and aji amarillo peppers with their wonderful heat, though you can use other peppers to your preference.
I make mine from scratch with sliced potatoes, though you can make an even quicker version with frozen or pre-cut French fries. It's really up to you.
Let's talk about how to make Lomo Saltado, shall we?
Lomo Saltado Ingredients
- FOR THE STEAK & MARINADE
- Steak. Use flank steak, skirt steak, ribeye, or your favorite thinly sliced cuts of beef. You can make this with other cuts of meat, but beef is more traditional.
- Liquids. Olive oil, soy sauce, white vinegar.
- Seasonings. Fresh garlic, cumin, salt and black pepper.
- FOR THE FRENCH FRIES
- Potato. Sliced into French fry slices.
- Olive Oil. For cooking. See the recipe notes.
- Salt and Pepper.
- FOR the LOMO SALTADO
- Olive Oil. For stir frying.
- Red Onion. Cut into bite sized pieces.
- Tomato.
- Peppers. I'm using ají amarillo peppers, though you can use other peppers. Aji Amarillo is traditional. See the recipe notes.
- Cilantro.
- FOR SERVING: Cooked white rice, hot sauce, fresh chopped cilantro, chili flakes
How to Make Lomo Saltado - the Recipe Method
MARINATE THE STEAK
Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Slice the steak into bite sized pieces and set into the bowl. Mix and marinate for at least 10 minutes. Set aside.
COOK THE POTATOES/FRENCH FRIES
Soak the Potatoes First. Cover the potatoes in a large bowl with cold water and let them soak for at least 10 minutes (this will help with crispiness).
Cook the French Fries. Heat the olive oil in a large pan or wok to medium-high heat.
Season the sliced potato with salt and pepper, then cook for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through to your liking. SEE RECIPE NOTES.
Set the potatoes aside.
MAKE THE LOMO SALTADO
Onion and Peppers. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and peppers and stir fry for 2 minutes to soften.
Cook the Steak. Drain the marinade from the steak but keep the marinade. Stir fry the beef with the onion and peppers 3-4 minutes, until the steak forms a nice crust.
Tomatoes and Sauce. Add the tomato and reserved stir fry marinade and stir fry for 1 minute.
Warm it all Through. Add the cooked potatoes/French fries along with the cilantro and hot sauce, if desired. Stir fry to heat through.
FOR SERVING
Serve the lomo saltado (stir fried steak and potatoes) over cooked rice. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes, and hot sauce to taste. Try it with this Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Sauce)!
Boom! Done! Your lomo saltado is ready to serve! This is Peruvian beef stir fry at its finest, with lots of french fries and veggies in a flavorful stir fry sauce. Enjoy, my friends!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Potatoes/French Fries. You can soak the potatoes longer to remove more of the starches, which helps with crispiness. I usually soak for 60 minutes or longer. You can also use more oil in the pan and fry your French fries to your liking, which will make them crispier. I prefer mine with less oil. You can also use frozen French fries, if desired. I like to cut mine into the same shape/size as the steak for easier eating. See my Baked Cajun Fries recipe for more information.
- Chili Peppers. As mentioned, aji amarillo peppers are traditional with Peruvian lomo saltado and other Peruvian cuisine, as they are local. I usually grow my own, though you can easily use other peppers. Bell peppers are often used for a no heat version. Serrano peppers are roughly the same level of heat and are easier to find for the American cook.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this lomo saltado recipe. Such a great beef stir fry! Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Try Some of These Other Peruvian Recipes
Try Some of My Other Stir Fry Recipes
Try Some of These Popular Beef Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Lomo Saltado Recipe (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry with French Fries)
Ingredients
FOR THE STEAK & MARINADE
- 1 pound flank steak or use skirt steak, ribeye, or your favorite cut of beef
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE FRENCH FRIES
- 8 ounce potato sliced into French fry slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
FOR the LOMO SALTADO
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 aji amarillo pepper sliced (you can use other peppers, but aji Amarillo is traditional)
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- FOR SERVING: Cooked rice, hot sauce, fresh chopped cilantro, chili flakes
Instructions
MARINATE THE STEAK
- Whisk together the olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Slice the steak into bite sized pieces and set into the bowl. Mix and marinate for at least 10 minutes. Set aside.
COOK THE POTATOES/FRENCH FRIES
- Cover the potatoes in a large bowl with cold water and let them soak for at least 10 minutes (this will help with crispiness).
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan or wok to medium-high heat.
- Season the sliced potato with salt and pepper, then cook for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through to your liking. SEE NOTES.
- Set the potatoes aside.
MAKE THE LOMO SALTADO
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same pan or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and peppers and stir fry for 2 minutes to soften.
- Drain the marinade from the steak but keep the marinade. Stir fry the steak with the onion and peppers 3-4 minutes, until the steak forms a nice crust.
- Add the stir fry marinade and tomato and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the cooked potatoes/French fries along with the cilantro and hot sauce, if desired. Stir fry to heat through.
FOR SERVING
- Serve the lomo saltado (stir fried steak and potatoes) over cooked rice. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes, and hot sauce to taste.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Diana says
I made a couple adjustments that I'm not proud about. First, I used frozen steak fries and second, tomatoes aren't in season right now.
However, I remember over 10 years ago, a man from Peru came to fix my heater and he was telling me about lomo saltado for some reason. I kept it in my head and just made it tonight. I was thinking to myself, "Well, the potatoes aren't fresh and the tomatoes aren't the best." But my family thought it was awesome! They were exclaiming! So, I will definitely make this again.
Thanks for this recipe.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
It all sounds great to me, Diana! Easier to make with frozen fries. Glad you enjoyed it!!
Jérémie says
Lomo Saltado is a name I've known for a long time, so it was time to make this recipe.
If it needs aji amarillo, it's impossible -for me- to replace them here, because I, right now, have a lot of em to harvest and also because this is one of the most wonderful peppers in the world.
The result, with french fries cooked in the vinegary sauce is yum-yummy!! A great recipe! Thank you, Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jérémie. Definitely a good one! Super tasty for sure. =)
Damien C. says
Big hit in our home again with this one. Well done. Highly recommended.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it, Damien! Thanks!
jeffrey palmer says
my din din tonight - looks super:)
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Jeffrey. Enjoy!