Mexican Sopes
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
20 mins
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Total Time
35 mins
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Servings
8 servings
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Calories
104 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Appetizer, Snacks, Lunch
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Cuisine
Mexican
Mexican Sopes
Description
This Mexican Sopes recipe uses masa harina combined with hot water to create a soft but sturdy dough that doesn't crack when flattened. The dough balls are patted into thick tortillas, which are first toasted on a hot comal or skillet to set their shape and then lightly fried in vegetable oil to add a slight crispness on the outside. The thick base supports toppings like refried beans, cheese (typically queso fresco or cotija), salsa, and proteins or vegetables of choice.
The sopes provide a balance of textures from the creamy beans and cheese to the firm, slightly crispy corn base. Heating the masa with hot water and tweaking moisture levels to avoid cracking is vital for good results. The toppings add flavor and richness but should be prepared ahead of time to assemble quickly. This dish works well as a snack, appetizer, or light meal with its customizable toppings.
Tips include avoiding stacking sopes after cooking to prevent them from softening, handling fresh masa with care to minimize breakage, and using a comal for the initial cooking step. Leftover or broken sopes can be repurposed in stews for minimal waste.
Ingredients
SOPES
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 3/4 cups water hot
- vegetable oil see below for amounts, for frying
FILLINGS
- refried beans
- Filling of your choice (see headnotes)
- salsa see headnotes, of your choice
- queso fresco to taste, or cotija cheese
Instructions
- Mix the hot water with the masa harina. Add it about 1/2 cup at a time, kneading and mixing at first with a fork, then your hands. You will likely need all 1 13/4 cups of water, but this will depend on how dry your climate is, and how old your masa harina is. You want a very pliable, almost wet dough that doesn't stick to your hands when you roll it into balls. Do a tester: Roll a ball of masa and then flatten it. If it cracks all over along the sides, you will need a bit more water; start with a tablespoon at a time. If it sticks horribly, add a tablespoon at a time of masa harina, mixing well after each spoonful.
- Preheat a comal or griddle or cast iron skillet over medium heat. You want it less than 500°F, and about 350°F is best.
- Form the masa into balls of about 45 grams, or the size of a golf ball. Pat them into fat tortillas, gorditas, between your palms. You want them about 1/4 inch thick or a little fatter. Nothing too thin yet.
- Heat the gorditas on the comal. First side gets 1 minute. This will be the base of your sope. Flip and heat the other side for about 30 seconds.
- Move the sope off the comal and use your thumbs and forefingers to form a lip around the edges of your sope on the side you just cooked, which will be more supple. Yes, it will be very hot. Push down the center of the sope a little so you have essentially a little tartlet. Repeat all this with the rest of the dough, setting aside the sopes for now. They can sit like this for several hours.
- When you are ready to serve them, heat up a decent amount of lard or vegetable oil in a pan, enough to cover the bottom by about 1/4 inch. When it's hot, about 325°F to about 350°F, fry the sopes until crispy, which should take a couple minutes per side. You'll want to fill and serve them shortly after this.
ALTERNATIVE METHOD
- Mix the dough as above and pat out those gorditas. Only this time, heat lots of oil or lard in a pan to about 325°F. You need enough for the sopes to float in the oil, so about 1/2 inch deep.
- After you've formed the gorditas, use your thumbs and forefingers to form the rims on the uncooked sopes, rotating the sope as you go so it doesn't stick to the cutting board or table. Form all of them before you start frying.
- Fry a few sopes at a time, starting cup side down, so flat sides up. Fry like this for about 2 minutes, then flip them. You will want to spoon hot oil into the cups immediately. You will see the insides bubble furiously, then calm down. When it calms down, remove the sopes to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet in the oven set to "warm." These can hold for up to 1 hour before serving. Any more than that and you will need to refry them for about 1 minute per side to re-crisp them.
Notes
- Prepare all desired fillings and refried beans in advance to streamline assembling the sopes.
- When serving as appetizers, avoid overfilling so sopes can be eaten by hand; for plated meals, layering with utensils is acceptable.
- Do not stack cooked sopes; stacking causes steam and loss of crispness.
- For fresh masa dough, prefer the comal cooking method over full frying to avoid breakage and explosions.
- Leftover or broken sopes are suitable for adding to stews, enhancing texture and flavor.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 104 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 104kcal | 5% |
| Carbohydrates | 22g | 7% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 1g | 2% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 1mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 75mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 61IU | 1% |
| Calcium | 39mg | 4% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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