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Mexican Sopes Recipe
5 from 8 votes

Mexican Sopes Recipe

Follow this crispy Mexican Sopes Recipe to learn the step-by step directions and tips to make this traditional dish. Once you master these delicious masa boats, you'll be able to load them up with tasty toppings for a great appetizer, lunch or dinner.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 76 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 2 cups masa harina
  • 2 cups water warm
  • salt pinch, optional
  • cooking oil for frying

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. With your hands, mix the masa harina and salt (if using).
  2. Add the water a little at a time, stirring with your hands until the masa is moist. You may not need to use all of the water indicated.
  3. Knead the dough until it is pliable and moist but not sticky.
  4. If the dough is too dry, add more water. If too wet, add a little more masa. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel to keep it from drying out.
  5. Preheat a comal or skillet over medium heat.
  6. Line both side of a tortilla press (or the bottom of a plate or heavy pan) with two sheets of plastic or parchment paper. If using plastic, cut open a gallon-sized ziplock bag and divide it into two square pieces, this tends to work very well.
  7. Break off a piece of the dough and roll into a smooth, golf-ball sized ball, about 1 ½" in diameter.
  8. Use the lined tortilla press (or the bottom of a plate or pan) to flatten each ball to ¼"- ½" thick and about 4" - 4 ½" in diameter. The sopes should be thicker than a tortilla. Don't press them too thin or else they will break when being topped.
  9. Gently peel off the plastic and place each of the thick tortillas on the comal.
  10. Cook on one side for 30 seconds, then flip and cook for another 30 seconds. The tortillas should still be pretty raw at this point.
  11. Remove the thick tortillas from the heat and place on a cutting board or flat work surface.
  12. While still hot (but without burning yourself), use your fingers to pinch all around the edges upward to create a short raised ridge, or border.
  13. In a medium to large frying pan or cast-iron skillet, pour in enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the pan with about ¼" of oil.
  14. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's hot but not smoking.
  15. Gently place the sope shells face up into the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; you may need to fry them in batches.
  16. Fry for about 1-2 minutes until they turn golden-brown and crispy. Spoon some of the hot oil in the middle so it can crisp up.
  17. Use tongs to carefully flip them over to fry on the other side.
  18. Place the fried sopes on a paper towel-lined plate or wire cooling rack to drain any excess oil.
  19. Add toppings and serve immediately.

Notes

  • You can skip cooking the sopes on the comal first and simply make the ridges on the raw dough balls and fry. However, we noticed that the masa soaks up less oil when it is first par-cooked on the comal before frying.
  • Once topped, sopes need to be eaten immediately. If not, the toppings will make the masa soggy and the sopes will fall apart.
  • You can also not fry the sopes. Instead, when cooking on the comal, heat for one minute on each side. Then, proceed to pinch the edge to create the ridge. Add your toppings and serve.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 serving Calories 76kcal (4%) Carbohydrates 14.8g (5%) Protein 1.8g (4%) Fat 1.3g (2%) Saturated Fat 0.2g (1%) Sodium 53mg (2%) Potassium 72mg (2%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 0.1g (0%) Calcium 28mg (3%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 76

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 serving
Calories 76kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 14.8g 5%
Protein 1.8g 4%
Fat 1.3g 2%
Saturated Fat 0.2g 1%
Sodium 53mg 2%
Potassium 72mg 2%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 0.1g 0%
Calcium 28mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.