Mexican Sopes Recipe
These easy Mexican sopes are thick masa cakes with a pinched rim. Pan-cook, bake, or fry them, then pile on beans, meat, cheese, and salsa. A simple 3-ingredient sopes recipe!
Servings: 12 sopes
Equipment
- Tortilla press or glass baking dish
- Nonstick skillet or comal
- Gallon-size zip-top bag or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water, plus more as needed
- 1 to 2 cups vegetable oil, optional, for frying
- cooking spray, for baking
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the masa harina and salt. Stir in the water until a dough forms.
- Using your hands, knead the dough until it fully comes together and all the water is absorbed, about 3 minutes. To make sure it’s ready, grab a small piece and roll it into a ball. Press down on it with a finger. If the edges of the dough crack, the dough is too dry. If the dough sticks to your skin, it’s too wet. Add more water or masa harina as necessary.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, then roll each into a ball. Cover them with a clean, damp cloth or plastic wrap to keep the dough moist while you work.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. While it heats, cut the seams off a gallon-size zip-top bag so it makes one large rectangle of plastic, or use 2 pieces of parchment paper.
- Lay the plastic or parchment on the open tortilla press and place 1 dough ball on the bottom half. Fold the other side over the dough and gently press. Peel back the plastic and transfer the dough to your hand. It should be a little thicker than a corn tortilla.
- Cooking 1 or 2 at a time, place the dough on the hot griddle and cook for 1 minute. Flip and cook the other side for 1 more minute.
- Transfer the dough to a cutting board or plate and let it cool for a few seconds, just until you can touch it. Pinch the edges all the way around with your thumb and index finger to create a rim. If it's too hot, use a kitchen towel to pinch and press the edges. Work while the dough is warm, since it cracks if it cools too long.
- Cover the formed sopes with a towel and repeat with the rest of the dough.
- To pan-cook: Return the sopes to the hot griddle and cook for 1 more minute per side.To bake: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the sopes on 2 large baking sheets, spray with cooking spray, and bake for 5 minutes.To fry: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the sopes 2 or 3 at a time, flipping often, for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Drain on paper towels or a wire rack.
- Top with refried beans, cheese, shredded chicken or ground beef, lettuce, and salsa, and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: Keep cooked sopes in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen sopes overnight in the fridge. Reheat on a hot griddle, in the oven, or in a little oil until crisp, and add toppings right before serving.
- Make ahead: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days before pressing.
- No tortilla press? Press with a heavy cast iron skillet or a glass baking dish, which lets you see the dough. Press evenly so they cook evenly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sope (baked) | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg