What works as a sobrasada or 'nduja substitute?

I'm not sure I'm allowed to write this. As an artisan charcutier, can my credibility stand up to telling you how to make an alternative to 'nduja? Is it even possible to make an 'nduja substitute? It's the kind of thing to keep you up all night worrying. I daresay there are people out there who will declare me a heretic for telling you what I'm about to tell you, but if you haven't got 'nduja or sobrasada to hand and you really need it, what are you supposed to do?

I couldn't leave you that way, so here is the insider's take on what to use instead of 'nduja if you're really struggling.

What if you're not really struggling?

OK, let's get this out at the beginning. No 'nduja substitute is going to do the job really authentically. This is strictly a compromise solution. If you have time to get some 'nduja delivered, like ours here, then do that because there's nothing quite like it.

What are 'nduja and sobrasada like?

In other words, what are we trying to replicate? They have a couple of things in common, in that they are both fermented sausages (like all salamis). What sets them apart from most salamis is texture. 'Nduja and sobrasada are spreadable. They pull into little nuggets, spread onto toast and melt in a pan. Usually, if you have a recipe calling for one of them, it will be because the spreadability is needed. If your recipe just needs spicy salami, and spreadability is not a factor, go and get a spianata or a chilli salami to replace 'nduja, or some chorizo for sobrasada.

Can I use 'nduja and sobrasada interchangeably?

The reason they are sometimes discussed together is that spreadability they have in common. They look a bit alike too, with their reddy-orange hue. But can they be used in the same way? If you have a recipe needing spreadable salami and you can't lay hands on the one you really want, I'd say yes. They are more alike than they are like any other salami product, so your best substitute for 'nduja will be sobrasada, and vice versa. You might just want to tweak the flavour with a cheat, as I'll mention in a moment.

How can I replicate the taste?

Taste is the main way in which 'nduja and sobrasada differ. I'm always a bit sceptical when I read a recipe which says just use either. They aren't the same. 'Nduja's flavour profile is dominated by Calabrian chilli, which has a sort of clean heat which plays off the fermented flavours in the salami, while sobrasada is heavily influenced by paprika. Essentially, think about the difference between spicy salami and chorizo, because with a broad brush, that is the difference in flavour.

That said, if your dish calls for the flavour of 'nduja and you can get Calabrian chilli paste, use that. If your dish wants sobrasada, then smoked paprika or chorizo will need adding to replicate the flavour. As a cheat's approach, if I had 'nduja, but I needed sobrasada, I would add some paprika to the overall dish. If I had sobrasada and I needed 'nduja, I would add some Calabrian chilli, or Cayenne (with a sad face) if I couldn't get any of that.

How can I replicate the heat?

Spice is a factor in both 'nduja and sobrasada. They are far from tame. If you're making do with an alternative, unless you're keen to avoid the spice, dose it up with some dried chilli, chilli paste or even, shock horror, a bit of hot sauce.

How can I replicate the texture?

This is the trickiest bit. That spreadable nature is in-built, baked in and impossible to recreate after the fact. I'll write something else about where it comes from, but essentially, you can't turn a salami spreadable afterwards. There's only one way to recreate that texture, and it's with a blender. You could start with a salami, chop it up and blend it, adding in some extra fat, or you could start with a cooking sausage and let that down with a bit of oil.

Do we have another product you can use?

Texturally, our Meateor product will work pretty well. You could just adjust the flavour profile as above depending on whether you were using as an alternative to 'nduja or sobrasada.

Cheat's recipe for 'nduja substitute

Here goes, the ultimate heresy. But I get it, you're desperate. There are a few ways you could vary this, so I'll try to signpost as we go along. What we're trying to do is bring together something to match taste, heat and texture, and this is what I've found works best.

Makes 100g

(This is a small quantity, but the recipe is one to use instantly for the little bit you need. If you're planning on keeping it to use in future, you have time to order 'nduja online).

• 50g salami (ideally get end trimmings as they'll be cheaper, and go for spicy pork salami if you can).
• Cut the rind off a few rashers of back bacon, or use two whole rashers of streaky bacon.
• 25ml olive oil
• 0.5g of dried chilli or cayenne or fermented hot sauce.

Method is simple - blend it all up then chill it for half an hour in the fridge. If will be usable in little nuggets on a pizza, easy to add to pasta sauce, or spreadable on scallops or toast. Just bear in mind, the bacon fat is raw, so you'll need to cook it through when you use it. It will cook in plenty of time on top of a pizza, or simmering for 10 minutes in a pasta sauce. Don't spread it on bread or crackers and eat it without frying it off.

If you don't have the salami or salami ends, use sausage meat. You'll lose the fermented flavour, but you've got what you've got.

If you don't have the bacon rind, add more oil until you've got something spreadable.

If you want to make a sobrasada version, add smoked paprika to taste (start with 3g).

 

And that's it, credibility busted. But if you're desperate for an 'nduja or sobrasada substitute, you now know what you can do in a pinch.