Blog
Tips, guides and stories about Mexican cuisine in the US
Welcome to the Recetas Mexas blog, your source for information about Mexican cuisine in the US. Here you'll find detailed guides about Mexican ingredients, practical tips for cooking authentic dishes with products available in American grocery stores, and articles about the rich culinary culture of Mexico. Explore our recipes, products and restaurants for more.
Our articles cover everything from toasting and rehydrating dried chiles for rich, complex salsas to understanding the difference between corn and flour tortillas and when to use each. Learn traditional techniques like nixtamalization that give tortillas their distinctive flavor and texture.
Written by our team of Mexicans in the US, every article combines first-hand cultural knowledge with practical advice for American kitchens.
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We also publish store reviews of Latin and Mexican stores across US cities, product comparisons (which bottled mole is most authentic, what brand of totopos tastes best), seasonal guides (chiles en nogada in September, rosca de reyes in January, pan de muerto in November) and the fascinating stories behind dishes like mole poblano, tamales andpozole that carry centuries of pre-Hispanic and colonial tradition.
Whether you're a complete beginner curious about Mexican cuisine or an experienced cook looking to perfect your technique, our blog has something for every level. All recipes and techniques are adapted for ingredients available at Walmart, Kroger, H-E-B and Latino markets across the US.
Latest Articles
Mexican Food in the Phoenix Metro Beyond Phoenix Itself
Mesa, Glendale, Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale and Avondale: the restaurants and stores our directory lists outside the city line, and the chain that covers them.
Austin vs. Dallas: Two Texas Mexican Food Scenes Compared
Our directory lists 42 Mexican restaurants and 21 stores across the two cities. The split by type, price tier and Google rating says they are not the same market.
What Mexico Actually Eats for Breakfast, and How to Build It Here
Not a burrito. What a Mexican weekday breakfast really looks like, what the weekend version adds, and the four things to buy in the US to make either one.
How to Read a Masa Harina Bag and a Tortilla Label in the US
Nixtamalized or not, lard or shortening, which additives signal a shortcut. What the ingredient lines on US masa and tortilla packages actually tell you.
Which US States Our Directory Covers, and Which It Does Not
An honest map of our US coverage: 630 restaurants and 536 stores in 12 states, the metros we have mapped in depth, and the large gaps we have not.
Mexican Cantinas in the UK: the Fifteen Rooms Built Around the Bar
Fifteen UK venues are classified as cantinas in our directory, five in London. What a cantina is, what it is not, and where to find them.
Where Britain Actually Has Mexican Food: an Honest Map of 381 Venues and 244 Shops
London holds 117 of the UK’s 381 mapped Mexican venues. Forty-one towns have one or two. And six cities have shops but no restaurant at all.
Mexican Ingredient Substitutions That Work in a US Kitchen
Which swaps hold up when a Mexican ingredient is missing, which ones quietly change the dish, and the three that ruin it. Plus where to stop substituting.
How to Nixtamalize Corn at Home, and Where to Buy Cal in the US
Cal is the one ingredient you cannot improvise. What to buy, what the labels say, how much to use per pound of corn, and the timings that actually matter.
How to Order at a Taquería in the US: A Glossary of Meats
Asada, al pastor, lengua, buche, campechano. What each cut is, how the counter actually works, and the four words that get you through the whole order.
Six Mistakes That Ruin a Salsa, and How to Fix Each One
Bitter, watery, pale, flat, harsh or thin: six salsa faults with their symptom, their cause and the fix, plus what to do when the batch is already made.
Taco Night for Eight: The Shopping List and the Prep Timeline
Quantities per person, what to buy at a Mexican grocery versus a regular supermarket, and a timeline that gets everything hot at once without a scramble.