It is never too late to delve into the world of Spanish recipes, and there is always a new one waiting to be discovered.
The spicy oxtail recipe is one of the newest Spanish oxtail recipes that you will find, as it was born in recent years as a spin on the classic oxtail recipe for stew.
In this article, you will find everything you need to know to nail this recipe, from how to prepare oxtail stew, to some key facts on how to store, serve, and ingredient replacements that you can follow.
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Background of the Dish
The traditional Spanish oxtail stew with vegetables was born thousands of years ago in Southern Spain, and with time people started adding their twists and turns to the recipe.
That’s how the spicy oxtail recipe was born: it has the essence from the classic recipe, but it adds spiciness with bell peppers, hot sauce, and other spices, all balanced with heavy cream.
Other Spanish recipes were created at the same time, such as the oven baked oxtail recipe, but this spicy stew manages to stand out due to its strong flavor and tenderness.
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Things You’ll Need for Spicy Oxtail Recipe
To make the spicy oxtail recipe you will need oxtail, hot sauce, heavy cream, beef broth, red wine, onion, garlic cloves, and a mix of spices.
You will need a large pot or a Dutch oven to make the recipe, but you could also use a slow cooker or a pressure cooker to adapt the cooking times.
Ingredients
- 2 kg oxtail
- 1 cup (240ml) red wine
- 4 cups (1l) beef broth
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 carrots
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
How to Make Spicy Oxtail Recipe – Step by Step Guide
- For the first step in this spicy oxtail recipe, you have to peel and chop the carrots and onion into small pieces. Also, peel and mince the garlic cloves, and chop the tomatoes and bell peppers into small squares (discarding the seeds). Set them aside.
- To continue with this rich oxtail recipe, pat the meat dry with paper towels and cut it into cubes. Season each side with salt and pepper.
- Now grab a large pot or Dutch oven and heat olive oil over medium-high heat. There you can slightly brown the oxtail pieces on all sides until they develop a golden crust. Remove the oxtail and set aside.
- Using the same pot, add chopped onion, minced garlic, carrots, and bell peppers. Sauté until the vegetables get a softer texture, but keep in mind that they will continue cooking later.
- For the next step in this Spanish oxtails recipe, add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin. Stir well to combine and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
- Then, pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any flavorful bits from the bottom. You can skip this step if you prefer avoiding wine, but remember that the alcohol evaporates and just adds a new depth of flavor to the Spanish-style oxtail.
- After that, return the seared oxtail to the pot. Pour in the beef broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Now, cover the pot and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the oxtail is tender. Check occasionally and add more broth if needed.
- Then, stir in the heavy cream and hot sauce and let the stew simmer for 15 more minutes, allowing it to thicken. You can do like other simple oxtail recipes and avoid the heavy cream, but it does add a richer and creamier texture.
- For the final step in this spicy oxtail stew recipe, remove bay leaves and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve the spicy creamy oxtail stew hot and enjoy.
Substitution of Ingredients
There are a lot of changes that you can make to this spicy oxtail recipe to adapt it to your preferences and what you have on hand.
For example, you can prepare the stew with vegetable broth instead of beef, or use water with bouillons to get that same flavor, and you can use any vegetable of your choice.
You can also take inspiration from the oxtail dumplings and add Asian ingredients to this stew, such as soy sauce, grated ginger, a pinch of wasabi, etc.
The wine is key to reaching a depth of flavor similar to the one on the red wine oxtail stew, but you could replace it with a different type of wine or simply skip it from this recipe and add another liquid (water or broth) if needed.
Tips on Serving Spicy Oxtail Recipe
This is truly the best oxtail recipe because as soon as you finish making it you will have a main dish ready to be served, by itself or with other side dishes.
Since it is a spicy oxtail recipe, a good way to balance the spiciness is to top the stew with shredded parmesan or manchego cheese, as it will melt with the heat of the stew adding a layer of creaminess.
You can do something like oxtail and rice and serve it with a portion of cooked white rice, or go for a different approach and serve it with noodles or pasta.
If you want to lean towards healthy oxtail recipes for your inspiration, then the oxtail stew with potatoes and the oxtail soup with mixed vegetables will show you that the best sides are boiled or roasted veggies.
How to Store Spicy Oxtail Recipe
The best oxtail recipes can be stored both in the fridge or freezer, and thankfully the spicy oxtail recipe fits in this category.
Once you finish preparing the recipe you have to let the beef oxtail stew cool to room temperature and then place it in an airtight freezer-safe container.
After that, take your stew to the fridge where you can store it for up to 3 days, or to the freezer where it can last up to 45 days, just make sure to label it so you don’t go over that time.
Just like you would do with the Portuguese oxtail stew, the best way to reheat it is at the stove or in the oven, in both cases on medium to low heat, so the stew gains back its original consistency and texture.
Other oxtail recipes that you can prepare and store for a while are the braised oxtail and the tender oxtail recipe, so feel free to try and make them as well.
Recipe Card: Spicy Oxtail Recipe
Easy Spicy Oxtail Recipe
It is never too late to delve into the world of Spanish recipes, and there is always a new one waiting to be discovered.
The spicy oxtail recipe is one of the newest Spanish oxtail recipes that you will find, as it was born in recent years as a spin on the classic oxtail recipe for stew.
In this article, you will find everything you need to know to nail this recipe, from how to prepare oxtail stew, to some key facts on how to store, serve, and ingredient replacements that you can follow.
Ingredients
- 2 kg oxtail
- 1 cup (240ml) red wine
- 4 cups (1l) beef broth
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 cup (60ml) Hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 carrots
- 2 tomatoes
- 2 bell peppers
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- To start with this Spanish-style oxtail recipe, peel and chop the carrots and onion into small pieces. Peel and mince the garlic cloves, and chop the tomatoes and bell peppers into small squares (discarding the seeds). Set aside.
- Pat the oxtail dry with paper towels and cut it into cubes. Season each side with salt and pepper.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the oxtail pieces on all sides until they develop a golden crust. Remove the oxtail and set aside.
- In the same pot, add chopped onion, minced garlic, carrots, and bell peppers. Sauté until the vegetables get a softer texture, but keep in mind that they will continue cooking later.
- To continue with this tasty oxtail recipe, add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and ground cumin. Stir well to combine and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any flavorful bits from the bottom. You can skip this step from this Spanish oxtail recipe if you prefer avoiding wine, but remember that the alcohol evaporates and just adds a new depth of flavor.
- Return the seared oxtail to the pot. Pour in the beef broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover the pot and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the oxtail is tender. Check occasionally and add more broth if needed.
- Stir in the heavy cream and hot sauce, then let the Spanish oxtail stew simmer for an extra 15 minutes, allowing it to thicken.
- To finish the spicy oxtail stew recipe, remove bay leaves and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the spicy creamy oxtail stew hot.
Notes
To prepare this easy oxtail recipe even faster you can cook it in a pressure cooker where it would take from 45 to 60 minutes.
If you were looking for something more similar to a spicy oxtail soup recipe, then you should check our Mexican oxtail soup recipe that knocks it out of the park.
The heavy cream is key to reaching a thick and creamy sauce for this Spanish oxtail stew, and it also helps to balance the spiciness, but you can skip it if you prefer.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 855Total Fat 54.6gSaturated Fat 12.3gCholesterol 60mgSodium 482mgCarbohydrates 88.8gFiber 28.9gSugar 10.1gProtein 28.1g
Hola, I’m Paulina! Together with my team, we are passionate about Southern Spain. Here we share all you need to know for great times in Southern Spain with the best places to visit, stay and, of course, the best food to eat.
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