Mexican Sopes

Sopes topped with shredded carnitas and queso fresco.

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4.80 from 25 votes

Enjoy these easy Mexican sopes as an appetizer or dinner! Bake or fry, then top with meat, veggies, beans, and salsa.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: sopes

Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Ingredients

2 cups masa harina
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 ½ cups warm water, plus more as needed
1-2 cups vegetable oil, 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 press and make the sopes.
Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. While the griddle is heating up, cut the seams off of a large resealable plastic bag so that it makes one large rectangular piece of plastic. Alternatively, you can use parchment paper instead.
Lay the plastic or parchment paper on the open tortilla press and place 1 dough ball on the bottom half. Fold the other side of the plastic or parchment paper over the dough and gently close and press the upper portion of the tortilla press to flatten it out. Open the tortilla press, carefully peel back the plastic or parchment paper, and transfer the dough to your hand. It should be slightly thicker than a typical corn tortilla.
Cooking 1 or 2 at a time, place the dough on the hot griddle and cook for 15 to 20 seconds. Flip and cook the other side for 15 to 20 more seconds. Both sides of the dough should looks cooked and lightly seared. You don't want to cook it all the way through like a corn tortilla.
Transfer the dough to a plate and let it cool for about 30 seconds. When cool enough to handle, pinch the edges around the entire dough using your thumb and index finger to create a rim. (see photos in post for examples)
Cover the sope with a towel and repeat until all the sopes have been formed.
To bake: Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer the sopes to 2 large baking sheets and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 5 minutes.
To fry: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the sopes 2 or 3 at a time, flipping frequently, for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Drain the sopes on paper towels or a wire rack.
Serve the sopes with desired toppings like beans, cheese, ground beef, shredded chicken, shredded lettuce, salsa and enjoy!

Video

Notes

When flattening the dough, make sure the dough is thicker than a regular corn tortilla, so try not to over-flatten it. If you do, simply gather the dough, roll it into a ball, and try again.

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