🐖 Cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig)

Name: Cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig)
Total time: 180 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Spain · Segovia, Castile
Ingredients: 1 suckling pig, about 4–5 kg, split open; 2 tbsp coarse salt; 250 ml water; Optional: 2 bay leaves and a few garlic cloves

Origin: Spain · Segovia, Castile

750kcal

per serving · 300 g

250kcal

per 100 g

66 gProtein22 g / 100 g

54 gFat18 g / 100 g

0 gCarbs0 g / 100 g

Cochinillo asado is a young suckling pig roasted whole in a wood-fired or very hot oven with nothing more than salt and water. The skin turns glassy and crackling-crisp while the meat underneath stays meltingly tender and juicy. It is served in generous portions straight from the clay roasting dish, often with a simple green salad or roast potatoes.

Diets

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly0 g carbs per 100 g

✓

High protein22 g protein per 100 g — 35% of the calories

Not vegetarianbecause of: suckling pig

Not veganbecause of: suckling pig

Contains porkbecause of: suckling pig

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens in a typical recipe.

What it is made of

suckling pigsaltwater

Recipe

6 servings180 min

Ingredients

1 suckling pig, about 4–5 kg, split open
2 tbsp coarse salt
250 ml water
Optional: 2 bay leaves and a few garlic cloves

Method

Heat the oven to 180 °C. Rub the pig all over with salt.
Lay it skin-side down in a large roasting dish with the water, bay and garlic, and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Turn it skin-side up, prick the skin in a few places and roast for another 60–70 minutes, adding a little water if the dish dries.
Raise the heat to 220 °C for the last 10–15 minutes until the skin is crisp and blistered.
Rest for 10 minutes, cut into portions and spoon over the pan juices.

How to make it lighter

Most of the fat sits in and under the skin: enjoy a piece of crackling, but eat mostly the lean meat.
Keep the portion to around 200–250 g and fill the plate with salad or grilled vegetables.
Skim the fat off the pan juices before spooning them over the meat.

History

Roast suckling pig has been a festive dish across Castile for centuries, and Segovia is the city most closely associated with it. Local restaurants famously carve it at the table with the edge of a plate to show how tender it is. Today it is a celebration meal and a draw for visitors to Segovia.

Count it in one photo

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →