This deliciously easy Mexican Sopes recipe makes for one of our all-time favorite small plates. Corn dough is pan fried into a thick, tortilla like base and is topped with refried beans, fall apart meat and pico de gallo. 

three beef brisket topped mexican sopes on a colorful rectangular serving platter with a bowl of guacamole and salsa in the background

If you’ve tried my slow cooker brisket recipe, you know how delicious and easy it is to feed a crowd. Shake things up by serving tender beef brisket atop pillowy pan-fried sopes for a dish your guests will rave about.

Claude’s Sauce is Boss For Brisket

When I first moved to Colorado I started missing local El Paso products. One of those products was Claude’s sauces. Every time I’d visit El Paso I would come back with a supply of marinades for our home and family and friends who also wanted me to bring bottles for them.

Then one day my hubby showed up with Claude’s brisket marinade from the grocery store and I was in shock. “Where did you buy this?” He told me he found it at Tony’s Market. You would think he brought home a winning lottery ticket. I was beyond excited.

raw beef brisket on a piece of parchment in front of a slow cooker with a jar of claude's marinade and a glass of beer

Now you are probably thinking, what is so special about this sauce? My favorite is their brisket marinade sauce. My mom always made beef brisket when we had a family get together and now I know why—it’s easy, delicious, and she would always use the leftover brisket to make other family favorite dishes.

All I do is shake up the bottle, pop it open, and drizzle it over brisket with a bottle of beer and let it cook in a slow cooker. Watch this video to see how simple it really is.

shredded slow cooker beef brisket and juices in a cast iron skillet on a wooden table

Once you have this glorious shredded brisket you can make beef brisket tacos, salpicon tostadas, machaca con huevo, brisket flautas banderas, or these lovely sopes filled with homemade refried beans, shredded brisket, and topped with fresh pico de gallo.

What Are Sopes?

Mexican sopes, sometimes also known as pellizcada or garnacha, are antojitos, or small plates. Often served as a snack or appetizer, sopes are served like an open-face taco, except thicker.

unfilled mexican sopes shells on a wooden table

Sopes actually refers to the pan fried dough which ends up like an unusually thick tortilla. Once cooked, the dough is pinched to make a ridge all the way around, turning it into a kind of boat. You can top sopes with anything, but these brisket sopes are my daughter’s favorite meal. 

If you don’t want to make homemade sopes, you can buy them at the store or online. That said, my recipe for sopes is pretty darn easy to follow, and I’d bet you’ll like the homemade version more than what you can buy.

How to Make Sopes

In a mixing bowl combine the masa harina and salt. Add the shortening and rub in with your fingers so that it is evenly distributed. Add warm water and knead until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky.

how to make sopes - showing two hands rolling dough into a ball

It should be soft and moist like play-doh. If the dough is dry add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Divide dough into 8 portions. Cover with a damp cloth to keep the dough soft and moist.

Line a tortilla press with plastic wrap. Place a ball of dough on the press and cover with another piece of plastic wrap and press down to form a little 1/4-inch-thick patty. Peel off the plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining balls of dough.

how to make Sopes step 2 - Tortilla Press on a big wooden board with a ball of sope dough between plastic sheeting

TIP: If you don’t have a tortilla press you can use a heavy skillet or pot to make the dough patties or use your hands to form a patty.

Preheat an ungreased comal (griddle) on medium-high heat. Cook a patty on the comal for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side until dry.

Cooking sopes on a cast iron griddle

While the cooked patty is still warm and as soon as you are able to handle it, pull the dough of the patty up and outward towards the edge, creating a little ridge of dough all the way around the circle to create a little “boat” or sope. Repeat with the remaining patties.

how to make sopes - showing hands pinching edge of sope as final step of sopes recipe

Fill each sope with refried beans, some warm brisket and a spoonful pico de gallo.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I serve sopes?

While Mexican sopes are an antojito, I often serve them as a full meal. Check out these other delicious sopes recipes:

You could easily set up a buffet with all kinds of toppings to turn your party into a sopes party!

You can also feel free to serve them in tandem with some of my other favorite small plates like empanadas, flautas or queso fundido.

What other toppings would be good on sopes?

Anything that you would put on a taco would be just as good on a sope! I love beans, pork, chicken, beef, or even eggs on mine. 

close up shot of colorfully painted rectangular serving dish with three sopes filled with refried beans, beef brisket and guacamole

Can I make this Mexican sopes recipe ahead of time?

Absolutely! Sopes will last for up to a week in the fridge or up to a month in the freezer. Wait for the sopes to cool, then arrange in a single layer in an airtight sealable container to store. When it’s time to eat, simply warm them up in a 350F oven for 10 to 15 minutes then fill and enjoy!

overhead shot of a horizontal rectangular serving platter with three brisket filled sopes

Need more game day inspiration? Check out these other recipes:

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Brisket Sopes (Sopes con Carne Deshebrada)

5 (1 rating)
Sopes are like an open-face taco, except thicker. You can top sopes with anything, but these brisket sopes are my daughter’s new favorite meal.
Print Pin Rate
Yield: 8 sopes
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 8 mins
Total Time: 38 mins

Ingredients

Sopes:

Fillings and Toppings:

Instructions 

  • In a mixing bowl combine the masa harina and salt. Add the shortening and rub in with your fingers so that it is evenly distributed. Add warm water and knead until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky. If the dough is dry add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Dough should be soft and moist like play-doh and not dry. Divide dough into 8 portions. Cover with a damp cloth to keep the dough soft and moist.
  • Line a tortilla press with plastic wrap. Place a ball of dough on the press and cover with another piece of plastic wrap and press down to form a little 1/4-inch-thick patty. Peel off the plastic wrap. (If you don’t have a tortilla press you can use a heavy skillet or pot to make the dough patties or use your hands to form a patty.) Repeat with remaining balls of dough.
  • Preheat an ungreased comal (griddle) on medium-high heat. Cook a patty on the comal for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side until dry. While the cooked patty is still warm and as soon as you are able to handle it, pull the dough of the patty up and outward towards the edge, creating a little ridge of dough all the way around the circle to create a little “boat” or sope. Repeat with the remaining patties.
  • Fill each sope with some refried beans, warm brisket, and garnish with pico de gallo.

Video

Notes

  • Nutrition facts do not include any fillings or toppings, just the sopes. 
Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 76mg, Potassium: 75mg, Fiber: 2g, Vitamin A: 61IU, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 2mg
Author: Yvette Marquez
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast
Cuisine: Mexican

Photography by Jenna Sparks

Originally published: January 2016.