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Bring the flavors of Mexican street food into your kitchen with my picaditas recipe. They’re golden brown, crispy, and topped with your favorite fix-ins!
Want more street food recipes? Try my mulitas, pupusas, arepas, and chicharrones next.
When I need a fun appetizer or snack that’s a bit more creative than nachos, I make picaditas.
Also known as sopes, they’re a staple of Mexican street food. The masa corn cake is lightly fried until golden brown and crisp yet soft. Then they’re topped with, well, whatever you desire.
What is a picadita?
Depending on where you look in Mexico, these may be called many names, like sopes or pellizcadas. They’re essentially thick corn tortillas that are fried and topped with savory toppings.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Cheap and simple ingredients. The masa cakes only need four (very) basic ingredients.
- No fancy kitchen gear needed. You won’t need a tortilla press or deep fryer to get soft, fluffy corn cakes. All you need is a skillet and a ziplock bag!
- Easy to customize. Add whatever toppings you want, or set up stations and let everyone add their own toppings.
- Versatile. They’re traditionally a street food snack, though they make a great light lunch, appetizer, or main course.
Ingredients needed
- Masa harina. Known as dried corn dough, this is a classic Mexican ingredient needed to make sopes. Be sure to look for corn flour labeled as “masa harina” and NOT cornmeal, as the flavor and texture are very different.
- Salt. For flavor.
- Hot water. To make the dough.
- Oil. I used vegetable oil, but any frying oil works. When I’m feeling especially naughty, I’ll use pork lard.
- Toppings. This time around, I used refried beans, shredded lettuce, salsa, sliced avocado, cheese, and lime crema. I’ll add some favorites below!
Topping ideas
- Veggies. Diced onions, tomatoes, sautéed zucchini, or pickled jalapeños.
- Protein. Carnitas, taco meat, sofritas, chicken al pastor.
- Sauces. Sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa verde.
- Garnish. Lime juice, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.
How to make picaditas
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Make the masa dough. Combine the masa and salt in a bowl. Pour hot water into the bowl and mix until absorbed. Knead the dough for 5 minutes then form it into a dough ball, cover, and rest for 10 minutes.
Step 2- Divide the dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized dough balls. Cover and set aside.
Step 3- Press. Cut open a ziplock bag like a book. Place one dough ball on it. Cover the ball with the other side of the bag and press with a heavy skillet to flatten.
Step 4- Cook and shape. Transfer the dough to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds per side. Transfer the cooked dough to a plate, chill for 30 seconds, then pinch around the edges to create a rim.
Step 5- Fry. Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the corn cakes, flipping every 30 seconds until crispy and golden. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate.
Step 6- Add toppings and serve. Serve them with your favorite toppings.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Be careful when pinching the rim. They’ll be quite hot, so I like to use a paper towel so I don’t burn myself. That said, you want to do this when they’re warm so they’re more malleable.
- Did they tear when you pinched the rim? Simply pinch them back together.
- Make sure the oil is hot. Otherwise, they can stick to the skillet and break apart. Wait until a few drops of water sizzle in the pan, then fry.
- Store the cooked sopes. When I’m making a big batch, I like to keep the finished ones in the oven at 200F so they stay fresh as I’m frying.
Storage instructions
To store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To freeze: Store cooled sopes in a freezer-safe bag for up to three months.
Reheating: Reheat them in the oven at 350F for 5-7 minutes or until they’re fully reheated. I don’t recommend the microwave as they will lose some crispiness.
Frequently asked questions
Both are made from corn that’s been ground to flour, but masa harina has been nixtamalized (soaked in lime), which gives it a distinct flavor and helps the nutrients from the corn be more readily absorbed by the body.
Sopes are a finger food that’s meant to be picked up like a pizza or flatbread. That said, you can use a fork and knife too.
More Mexican favorites
- Tortas
- Tacos dorados
- Chicken tinga
- Taco bowl
- Or any of these Mexican recipes
Picaditas
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound masa harina
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 375 mls water hot
- 1/4 cup oil to fry
Instructions
- Mix together masa harina and salt in a medium bowl. Pour hot water into the bowl and mix together until all the water is absorbed. Knead the dough with your hands for 5 minutes, until the dough becomes firm: not too dry or sticky.
- Form the dough into a bowl and cover for 10 minutes to rest.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and form into balls, using the palm of your hands. Cover the dough and set aside.
- Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut open one zip lock bag, like a book, and place one ball of dough on it. Cover the dough with the other side of the plastic bag and press with a heavy iron skillet to flatten it out. Transfer the dough to a skillet and cook for 30 seconds per side. Transfer the cooked dough to a plate, chill for 30 seconds, and pinch the edges, around the entire dough, to create a rim. Cover the cooked dough with a towel.
- Pour the oil into a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the sopes, flipping every 30 seconds until the dough becomes crispy and golden. Remove it from the skillet and dry them on paper towel.
- Serve the sopes with your favorite Mexican toppings like refried beans, shredded lettuce, salsa, etc.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published February 2023, updated and republished September 2024
Can I use butter instead of oil here?
Finally i found masa harina. I am excited to try this recipe when my friends come for dinner.
I bought all ingredients today in the shop as my friends come for dinner tomorrow. I really am excited
To make them these.
I never heard of masa harina before. What is that actually?
Wow I really want to try this. I like Mexican food so much. But dont know where can I find masa harina…
This reminds me of Spain!