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.
Every year my mom would ask me what I wanted to eat for my birthday. As much as I loved her enchiladas or molletes, more often than not my answer was sopes.
There is just something about crispy, fried masa piled high with toppings and a spicy salsa that always seemed quite special and like the perfect birthday treat.
My mom would usually make sopes topped with mashed avocado, homemade refried beans, crisp lettuce and tomatoes. However, the great thing about them is once you know how to make the thick, round masa shells you can customize them with the tasty toppings you prefer.
In today's post, I will show you how to make sopes so you can start enjoying them in your home.
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What are Sopes?
Like corn tortillas, sopes (pronounced soh-pehs) are made simply with corn masa and water. They are thicker than tortillas though, and shaped with a ridge all the way around. Once shaped, they are fried until lightly crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. They are then piled with all sorts of savory toppings and eaten with your hands, like a tostada.
Sopes are a traditional Mexican dish, usually falling under the category of "antojitos" (meaning little cravings) which refer to a variety of snacks, light dishes, and often street foods as well.
You may also hear them called "picaditas" or "pellizcadas" and are similar to other antojitos like memelas and huaraches.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Minimal Ingredients: Just three ingredients are needed to create the sope shell.
- Mix of Textures: An amazing contrast of a crispy outer shell and a soft and tender interior.
- Customizable: Top with beans, meat, cheese, or vegetables, there are so many possibilities.
- Versatile: Great as an appetizer or a main dish, for lunch or dinner.
- Hearty and Filling: The combination of the thick masa and toppings make these not only delicious, but will fill you up.
- Gluten-Free: Corn is naturally gluten-free and therefore so is this recipe. Just be sure the masa harina is certified gluten-free and hasn't been cross-contaminated.
The Ingredients
- Masa Harina: Corn flour known as masa harina is the same type of flour used to make corn tortillas. Some brands I love and recommend include Masienda and organic Masabrosa.
- Water: Use warm water to mix with the flour to form a pliable dough.
- Salt (Optional): I don't usually add salt, but you can add a pinch of salt to the flour if preferred.
- Oil: Use a neutral or mild-flavor oil with a high-smoke point to fry the sope shells until golden and crispy. I like to use avocado oil because it has a high-smoke point and many health benefits.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Sopes
1. Prepare the Dough
- With your hands, mix the masa harina and salt (if using). Slowly add the water.
- Knead the dough until it is pliable and moist but not sticky.
2. Make the Discs
- Preheat a comal or skillet over medium heat.
- Line both sides of a tortilla press (or the bottom of a plate) 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.
- Break off a piece of the dough and roll into a smooth, golf-ball sized ball, about 1 ½" in diameter.
- Use the lined tortilla press (or the bottom of a plate) to flatten each ball to ¼"- ½" thick and about 4" - 4 ½" in diameter.
3. Cook on Comal
- Gently peel off the plastic and place each of the thick tortillas on the comal.
- Cook on one side for 30 seconds, then flip and cook for another 30 seconds.
4. Pinch the Edges
- Remove the thick tortillas from the heat and place on a cutting board or flat work surface.
- While still hot (but without burning yourself), use your fingers to pinch all around the edges and upward to create a short raised ridge, or border.
5. Fry the Sopes
- 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 inch of oil.
- Heat the oil over medium heat until it's hot but not smoking.
- Gently place the sope shells into the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; you may need to fry them in batches.
- Fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until they turn golden-brown and crispy.
- Use tongs to carefully flip them over to fry on the other side.
- Place the fried sopes on a paper towel-lined plate or wire cooling rack to drain any excess oil.
6. Top and Serve
- Add toppings.
- Serve immediately.
How to Serve
Serve these as an appetizer or a main dish, for lunch or dinner. Common ways to top off sopes include:
- Chicken
- Carne Asada
- Picadillo
- Refried Beans
- Papas con Chorizo
- Salsa and Queso Fresco
Common garnishes include shredded lettuce, diced tomato, shredded or crumbled cheese and salsa, like jalapeño salsa.
How to Store and Reheat
Once topped, eat sopes immediately. If not, the toppings will make the masa soggy and the sopes will fall apart.
To store the sope shells, wait until they are completely cool. Then store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container lined with a paper towel for up to 2 days.
To freeze, place a piece of parchment paper between each sope to prevent them from sticking. Stack them in an airtight container or a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
To reheat, bake in a 350°F for about 5 minutes, or until warmed through and slightly crispy. You can also place the sopes on a dry skillet or comal and warm for about 2-3 minutes on each side until heated through and crispy.
Tips and Variations
- 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.
- If you do par-cook them on the comal first, remember that the dough has to be hot to be able to make the ridges. Just be careful not to burn your fingers.
- Maintain a medium heat when frying the sopes to ensure they cook through. This means you may have to regulate the temperature of your stove as you are cooking to maintain the correct heat level.
- 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 edges to create the ridge. Add your toppings and serve.
FAQ
Yes, you can prepare the dough a day or two in advance. Simply cover it well to prevent it from drying and store it in the refrigerator.
Yes, you can use the bottom of a plate or a heavy, flat-bottomed object, like a pan, to press the dough. Be sure to place the dough ball between plastic sheets or parchment paper to keep them from sticking.
Yes, corn is naturally gluten-free and therefore so are sopes. Just be sure the masa harina you buy is certified gluten-free and hasn't been cross-contaminated.
Yes, sopes are finger foods meant to be eaten like a tostada or a slice of pizza.
I hope you enjoy! If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment with a star rating below. Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to stay in touch, and don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter.
Recipe
Mexican Sopes Recipe
Equipment
- Comal or flat griddle
- Tortilla press or a plate or heavy, flat-bottomed pan
- Frying pan
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 2 cups warm water
- pinch of salt (optional)
- oil for frying
Instructions
- With your hands, mix the masa harina and salt (if using).
- 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.
- Knead the dough until it is pliable and moist but not sticky.
- 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.
- Preheat a comal or skillet over medium heat.
- 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.
- Break off a piece of the dough and roll into a smooth, golf-ball sized ball, about 1 ½" in diameter.
- 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.
- Gently peel off the plastic and place each of the thick tortillas on the comal.
- 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.
- Remove the thick tortillas from the heat and place on a cutting board or flat work surface.
- 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.
- 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.
- Heat the oil over medium heat until it's hot but not smoking.
- 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.
- 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.
- Use tongs to carefully flip them over to fry on the other side.
- Place the fried sopes on a paper towel-lined plate or wire cooling rack to drain any excess oil.
- 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.
Alejandra
I usually buy the ones at the store, I didn't realize how easy these are to make from scratch and they tasted so much better!
Gemma
I know, making them from scratch is so easy and they're so good. Thank you for trying out the recipe Alejandra.