How to Bring the Food and Flavors of Miami to Your Super Bowl Party
As Miami gets ready to host Super Bowl LIV, an important question arises for households across America: What are the best dishes to serve or bring to your Super Bowl party? It’s a dilemma that many take very seriously, as the food for the game is almost as big as the game itself.
You're forgiven if in recent years you served tortilla chips with store-bought guacamole, frozen chicken wings and that dreary looking spinach dip your guests pretend to adore. But this time around—for the sake of this year’s host city—we beg you to reconsider.
Miami has a minority-majority population—more than 70% Miami-Dade residents are Latino/Latina/Latinx and nearly 20% are Afro-Caribbean or from African ancestry—and thus, a rich multicultural food scene. From Little Havana’s Versailles or El Rey De Las Fritas, to Caribbean spot Naomi’s Garden, the city has an emphatic Caribbean and Latin American identity.
Make no mistake about it, this year’s Super Bowl is all about the Miami vibe and no matter where you’re watching the game, your Super Bowl party should be no different.
Here are five Miami-inspired dishes to get you in the mood. Dale!
Sports Illustrated
Cuban Mojo Marinated Ribs
The quintessential Cuban marinade mojo is perfect for covering your meat of choice, but it also works as a dip and a dressing for other meals, such as ceviche. Check out our video with Tom Colicchio to see the full recipe and how to prepare.
Pare Kodé (Haitian Patties)
Similar in appearance to an empanada, pare kodé are deep fried Haitian style patties filled with meat or vegetables—a perfect, filling dish for your Super Bowl spread. Follow Manie Chery’s recipe for this and more culinary greatness from Haiti.
Classic Ceviche
Ceviche is Peru’s iconic raw fish dish—one that I grew up eating. For a traditional take on this Peruvian classic, there’s no better place to direct you than Gaston Acurio’s recipe (via the Daily Meal) from his 2015 book, Peru: The Cookbook. The best part? It takes nearly no time to whip up this healthy, fresh and satisfying dish.
Cubano Sandwich
Add a little bit of Cuban flair to your Super Bowl menu with the King of sandwiches, the Cubano. An elevated version of a simple ham and cheese sandwich, the classic Cubano is made with Cuban-style bread and stuffed with ham, roast pork, cheese and pickles. To make it at home, follow Jon Favreau and Roy Choi’s recipe from the excellent movie Chef, Favreau’s love-letter to food and the art of cooking. The Cubano sandwich the perfect way to substitute the regular gameday hot dog or over-cooked burger.
Super-easy Arepas
You can’t go wrong with arepas, the delicious fried cornmeal pockets popularly known in Colombia and Venezuela. Here’s an easy, cheese-stuffed recipe that takes less than hour and also allows you—scratch that, demands you—to experiment. You can add a fried egg or even guacamole.
