Mexican tostadas: pata, tinga, ceviche, cueritos and seafood from the coast

What a tostada is in Mexico

In Mexico a tostada is a whole corn tortilla dried or fried until rigid and crisp, with the ingredients piled on top as if it were an edible plate. It has nothing to do with toast: here the base is always corn, and what goes on top can be almost anything, from beans and cheese to a freshly made fish ceviche.

Outside the country the tostada is little known, overshadowed by tacos and nachos, but in Mexico it is eaten every day. Tostadas are sold in markets, at street stalls, in seafood restaurants on the coast and in packets at every corner shop, ready to use at home. They are the quick fix for a simple meal, the mid-afternoon snack and the star of many parties. In this guide we look at the tostadas you see most around the country and how to eat them without them crumbling at the first bite.

A snack of ancient origin

The tostada is usually presented as a snack of ancient origin. The explanation repeated by popular food writing and by corn producers themselves is that, since pre-Hispanic times, tortillas were left by the fire until rigid and crisp and eaten with beans and chile; we have not found a historical study that details this, so take it as tradition rather than as a dated fact. It was also a practical way of preserving tortillas and using up the day's leftovers. With the arrival of the Spanish came ingredients such as beef and pork, chicken, cream and cheese, which gave rise to many of the tostadas eaten today.

The word totopo, meaning pieces of toasted or fried tortilla, comes from Nahuatl, and in regions such as Oaxaca totopos are still made on clay comales. The tostada is, in a sense, the whole-tortilla version.

How a tostada is built

Although each tostada has its own recipe, most follow a similar order that helps keep everything from sliding off:

1. A layer that sticks. Spread refried beans, cream or guacamole, which act as cement for everything that follows.
2. The main topping. Chicken, meat, seafood, vegetables or a stew.
3. The fresh element. Shredded lettuce or cabbage, tomato, onion, avocado, radishes.
4. The finish. Crumbled fresh cheese, cream and salsa.

The tortilla can be fried in oil, which gives a more intense crunch, or baked or dehydrated, which is lighter. In central Mexico they are bought by the packet from tortilla shops and grocers, and on the coast they are often made on the premises.

Market tostadas from central Mexico

Tostadas de pata

Tostadas de pata are a Mexico City classic that tends to surprise first-timers. The pata is beef trotter: it is cooked in plenty of vinegar with salt and herbs, a kind of escabeche, then boned and chopped. It has a gelatinous texture and a very distinctive sour flavor. It is served on the tostada with cream, cheese, lettuce, avocado and hot salsa, and sometimes with beans, onion or pickled jalapeños.

Tostadas de tinga

Tinga is a stew of shredded chicken or beef with tomato, onion and chipotle, smoky and a little spicy. On a tostada with beans and cream it is one of the go-to snacks in Mexican homes. Chicken tinga tostadas are a good place to start.

Tostadas de salpicón

Salpicón is cooked, shredded beef mixed with chopped vegetables, vinegar or lime and often pickled chiles. It is a fresh dish, perfect for hot weather, and works wonderfully on tostadas, as in salpicón tostadas.

In the capital's markets, such as Coyoacán's, there are stalls devoted entirely to tostadas, with trays full of toppings to choose from: pata, tinga, chicken, seafood and more. Sitting down at one of those stalls is a good way to understand the city's market cooking.

Tostadas de cueritos

Cueritos are pork skin cooked and pickled in vinegar with spices. Unlike pata, which is beef, cueritos are pork, although both have the gelatinous texture so loved in Mexico. They are sold by the kilo or in small bags, and in Jalisco cuerito tostadas with lettuce and a sweet sauce are typical. If you want to try them, see our cuerito tostadas.

Coastal tostadas: ceviche, crab, aguachile and marlin

On Mexico's coasts, the tostada is the natural plate for seafood. In seafood restaurants it is served on its own or alongside seafood cocktails, and the combination of fresh fish, lime, chile and crunchy corn works very well on a hot day.

• Ceviche. Fish or shrimp "cooked" in lime juice, with tomato, onion, cilantro and chile. Ceviche tostadas are found in seafood restaurants all over the country.
• Crab. In Veracruz, jaiba (swimming crab) meat is stewed or prepared as a salpicón and served on tostadas, as in Veracruz crab tostadas.
• Aguachile. Raw shrimp marinated in lime with chile and cucumber, typical of Sinaloa. Aguachile tostadas turn it into a single mouthful.
• Marlin. On the Pacific coast smoked marlin is stewed and served in tacos and on tostadas, as in marlin tostadas.

On the coast, seafood tostadas usually come without beans: the base is the tostada alone or with a little mayonnaise, and the seafood takes center stage, with avocado, hot salsa and lime to taste.

How to eat a tostada without it falling apart

Eating a tostada takes technique. The first rule is not to overload it: the higher the pile, the harder it is to bite. Hold it on your open hand from underneath, like a plate, and bite from the edge, tilting your head slightly. If the tostada breaks, never mind: it is part of the experience, which is why tostadas are usually served on a plate.

A home trick to stop it shattering at the first bite is to spread the bean or cream layer generously, as it cushions the pressure. And if you are making tostadas at home, assemble each one just before eating: over time, the moisture in the toppings softens the tortilla and the crunch is lost.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pata on tostadas made of?

It is beef trotter cooked in vinegar with salt and herbs, then boned and chopped. It should not be confused with cueritos, which are pickled pork skin.

Are tostadas fried or baked?

Both. Traditionally they were dried by the fire until rigid; today they are sold fried in oil and also baked, which are lighter.

What is the difference between a tostada and a nacho?

A tostada is a whole, flat, crisp tortilla with the toppings built on it. Nachos are pieces of fried tortilla served with melted cheese and other toppings, a dish associated with Tex-Mex cooking.

What is the typical Mexico City tostada?

Pata and tinga tostadas are among the commonest in the capital's markets, along with chicken and seafood ones.

Sources

• El Financiero, «¿De qué está hecha la pata de las tostadas?» (beef trotter in vinegar; pork cueritos; cuerito tostadas in Jalisco; toppings).
• Chilango, «¡De tinga, pata y mariscos! Estas son las tostadas más sabrosas del mercado de Coyoacán» and «Cinco tostadas de pata de la CDMX» (market tostadas in the capital).
• Emprendedores, «Los totopos y tostadas son dos productos irresistibles de Maíz Maya que tienen origen en las culturas prehispánicas mexicanas», and Unilever Food Solutions México, «Tostadas ricas para tu cantina» (popular and commercial account of the pre-Hispanic origin of the tostada; etymology of totopo).