Frita Cubana Recipe created by Burger Beast

Here’s the perfect Frita Cubana recipe for you straight from someone in Miami who knows all about it, the Burger Beast. When I was a little kid at Morro Castle in Hialeah, my father introduced me to the Frita Cubana, Cuba’s favorite street food.

The Frita Cubana recipe below has been served at some of the pop-ups for my Burger Beast Burger Joint. Don’t forget to enjoy a Batido!

Hijo de la Gran Frita Cubana
Frita Cubana on a Potato Roll with Chifles Plantain Sticks

This is the Frita Cubana recipe you’ve been looking for!

Equipment

  • 2 Bowls
  • Cheese Grater
  • Cast Iron Skillet or Frying Pan
  • Knife for Dicing
  • Paper Towels

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef (chuck)
  • 3 tbsp Spanish paprika
  • 2 tsp granulated garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp Crystal hot sauce
  • 1 large yellow onion (diced)
  • 2 medium russet potatoes
  • 1 cup cooking oil or as needed
  • 5 rolls Cuban rolls, if possible, or hamburger rolls

Instructions

Julienne Potatoes

  1. Shred the two potatoes on a cheese grater, then rinse them thoroughly until the water is clear.
  2. Drain and squeeze dry on paper towels. To get them really crispy, you need to remove as much moisture as possible.
  3. Add the cooking oil to a non-stick pan and heat to medium-high. Add the potatoes and let them cook until they are crispy.
  4. Let the potatoes dry on paper towels and season with salt according to your taste.
  5. Getting the julienne potatoes right is the most challenging part of the recipe, but there’s a little cheat. Go to your local grocery store and purchase Ore-Ida Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes instead. I recently started using Chifles Plantain Sticks, too.
Burger Beast Frita Seasoning, aka Frita Dust

Frita Cubana

  1. Mix the smoked Spanish paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and Crystal hot sauce into the ground chuck.
  2. Make five equally-sized balls of seasoned meat.
  3. Take one of the Frita-seasoned balls of beef, and using a thick spatula, smash onto a cast-iron skillet on a burner at medium-high heat.
  4. Grab a respectable large pinch of diced onions and place it on the smashed patty.
  5. Add salt as you would to any burger that you’re cooking.
  6. After cooking for approximately forty-five seconds to a minute, flip the Frita onto the onion side to finish.
  7. Place the bottom bun on the Frita while it’s finishing, and let it warm a little bit. You can also toast the buns lightly beforehand if you have the time or as a matter of preference.
  8. Slide the spatula under the deliciousness and flip it so that the bottom bun is resting on your hand with the Frita and onions on top.
  9. At this point, you can choose to add some raw diced onions and maybe a little dash of ketchup to bring out the flavor of the patty and the julienne potatoes.
  10. All that’s left to do is add the top bun, and you’re good to go!

Notes

You may want to read my Everything You Need To Know About The Frita Cubana if you’re not familiar with it. And if you’re looking for a more thorough history of the Frita Cubana, then get a copy of my book All About the Burger.

This is in no way a replacement for hitting up your favorite Frita restaurants, but trust me, this recipe will come in handy eventually. Next, you should read about how I cook my burgers on an outdoor grill.

Download the recipe HERE so you can print it out.

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