Carne Asada Sopes with Avocado

When it comes to making healthy Mexican recipes, I think world of sopes often goes overlooked. They don’t have the hype of tacos but these toasty little gluten-free shells with the soft interiors have lots to love and are actually pretty easy to make at home.

What Are Sopes?

Sopes are made from the same dough as corn tortillas—a simple mixture of masa harina and water—but formed into a thicker round with a handy little rim that makes them sturdier and able to take on all kinds of toppings.

They are the perfect party food—they can be eaten one-handed and their open-faced nature means you can pile them high with everything from vegetable ceviche to melted cheese.

How To Make Sopes

I wouldn’t count myself among the best Mexican food blogs if I didn’t tell you how to make them at home! Keep in mind you can make them as big or as small as you’d like. Miniature versions make great little bites for parties and larger versions (like this recipe) serve as good main course food.

Mexican sopes are actually way easier than making homemade corn tortillas. You don’t need a tortilla press and they are thicker which means the chances of them ripping are less likely. Just form the masa into thick rounds and toast on a dry, hot comal until cooked on both sides.

While they are still warm, pinch the sides of the sopes with your fingers to create a little rim. Then flatten the middle so it makes a nice, even base. Now you’re ready to fill!

Tell Me More About That Carne Asada

Typically beans are the base for sopes but I wanted to keep these a bit lighter with grilled slices of succulent carne asada, lots of crunchy vegetables, and a sprinkling of cheese.

The grilled steak is our family’s go-to Carne Asada recipe which is a simple marinade of beer, garlic, and lime. It’s perfect for tenderizing pieces of flank steak which can be on the chewier side—but with tons of flavor.

If red meat isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Mexican food recipes with pictures is my specialty so feast your eyes on these other ideas for toppings:

• Cochinita Pibil
• Best Ever Black Beans
• Slow Cooker Chilorio

If you give it a try, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear how it goes. Happy Cooking!

Carne Asada Sopes with Avocado

★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

Everything you need to know about making the BEST Mexican sopes! This easy sopes recipe is topped with grilled carne asada, ripe avocado, and queso fresco.

• Author: Kate Ramos
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 12 sopes 1x
• Category: main
• Method: grill
• Cuisine: Mexican

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Carne Asada: 

1 1/2 pounds flank steak

3 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 2 limes

1 (12-ounce) beer

For the Sopes: 

2 cups masa harina

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2-2 cups hot water

For the Toppings: 

2 ripe avocados

Crumbled queso fresco

Thinly sliced watermelon radishes

Thinly sliced red onion

Instructions

For the Carne Asada: 

Season the flank steak generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with garlic and squeeze the two limes over the steak. Pour beer over the top, cover and let marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. 

For the Sopes: 

Combine masa harina and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups hot water and mix with a wooden spoon at first to combine, then squeeze water into the flour with your hands. Knead briefly. If dough seems crumbly and dry, add more hot water a little at a time. You don’t want it to be sticky, but it shouldn’t crack when you roll a piece into a ball. 

Heat a dry comal, cast iron skillet, or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat.

Form a pool-ball sized piece of dough into a circle, then flatten into a 1/2-inch thick circle. Place dough directly on hot comal and cook, undisturbed until it forms a nice crust, about 2 minutes (turn heat down if it is burning or cooking too fast). Flip and cook other side about 2 minutes more. 

Remove from pan and pinch sides to form a rim. Flatten middle to make an even base. Repeat with remaining dough. 

To Finish: 

Heat a grill to medium-high heat. You can also cook the steak in a hot frying pan slicked with oil if you’d like. 

Remove steak from marinade and grill until done to your likeness, about 10 minutes for medium. Let rest 5 minutes then slice into thin, bite-sized pieces. 

Place sopes back over a hot comal (add a slick of oil if you want the bottom to crisp a bit) and let cook until nice and warm. 

Top with slices of steak and any toppings you’d like; avocado slices, watermelon radishes, Queso fresco, sliced red onion. I like to finish them with a drizzle of nice olive oil and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!