Sopes

Make Ahead and Storage

Fried bases keep 2 days and re-crisp in a hot oven for 5 minutes. Top only when serving.

Making Sopes

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1. Mix the masa harina and salt, then add the warm water gradually, kneading until the dough is smooth and feels like soft modelling clay. It should not crack at the edges when pressed.

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2. Rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then divide into 12 balls.

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3. Press each ball between two sheets of plastic to a disc about 9 cm across and 1 cm thick — noticeably thicker than a tortilla.

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4. Cook on a dry comal or heavy pan over medium heat for 2 minutes a side until the surface looks dry and matte with a few brown spots.

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5. Working quickly while they are hot — hold them in a folded cloth — pinch a 1 cm rim up around the edge of each with your fingertips.

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6. Heat the oil in a frying pan to about 180°C / 350°F and fry each sope base-down for 60 to 90 seconds until golden and crisp. Drain.

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7. Spread a layer of warm refried beans inside each rim, then the meat.

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8. Top with lettuce, onion, salsa, crema, cheese, avocado and jalapeños, and serve immediately.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.

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A Few Pointers

• If the dough cracks when you press it, it is too dry. Work in another tablespoon of warm water.
• Pinch the rims while hot. This is the only window in which the masa will cooperate.
• Unfried, unpinched bases freeze well; pinch and fry them from frozen after a brief thaw.

Some Background

The rim is pinched while the masa is still hot from the griddle, when it is pliable enough to shape but set enough to hold — wait until it cools and it will crack. Frying briefly after griddling gives a crisp base under a soft interior, which is what stops the sope going soggy under wet toppings.

Good Alongside

An agua fresca or horchata · Extra salsa and lime · Mexican rice on the side

Questions About Sopes

Sopes Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.

Vegetarian when made without the cooked shredded chicken or chorizo.

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