Mexico's beloved tortilla soup: a deep chile-tomato broth loaded with crispy fried tortilla strips, avocado, crema, queso fresco and epazote.
Sopa de tortilla — or sopa azteca as it is sometimes called — is the definitive Mexican soup: a dark, deeply flavored broth built from blended guajillo and pasilla chiles, charred tomatoes and onion, fried until the flavors concentrate and deepen, then simmered with epazote (a pungent Mexican herb with a wild, resinous flavor unlike anything in European cooking) and chicken broth. Into this smoky, complex broth go strips of corn tortillas, fried until completely crisp, which gradually soften in the hot liquid to a silky-chewy texture — never completely dissolving, always retaining some structure and corn flavor. The garnishes are what elevate sopa de tortilla from soup to a full sensory experience: sliced avocado or guacamole for creaminess; crema (Mexican soured cream, thinner and less tangy than American sour cream) drizzled over the surface; crumbled queso fresco or panela for salty freshness; additional fried tortilla strips for crunch; and chipotle chile in adobo for those who want more heat. Each bowl is assembled individually at the table, with diners adding garnishes to their taste. Sopa de tortilla is fundamentally a dish of economy and resourcefulness: stale corn tortillas that would otherwise be wasted become the soul of the soup. The technique of frying dried tortilla strips in oil until completely crisp (not just toasted — fully fried until rigid and golden) is what gives the soup its character. Store-bought tortilla chips are an acceptable shortcut for home cooks, though they lack the thickness and corn flavor of hand-cut and fried strips.
Serves 4
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the tortilla strips in batches, turning occasionally, until completely golden and crisp, about 3–4 minutes per batch. They must be fully crisp — not just lightly toasted. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt.
Day-old or slightly stale tortillas fry crispier than fresh ones. If using fresh tortillas, let them air-dry for 1 hour or toast in a 150°C oven for 10 minutes first.
On a dry comal or under the broiler, char the tomatoes, onion and garlic until the skins are blackened in spots. This charring is the source of the broth's deep, roasted character.
Drain the soaked chiles (reserve soaking water). Blend soaked chiles, charred tomatoes, onion, garlic and 250ml of the chicken broth until smooth. Pass through a strainer if you prefer a smoother broth.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pour in the blended chile-tomato purée and cook, stirring, for 5–7 minutes until it darkens and thickens and the raw chile flavor cooks out. Add the remaining chicken broth and the epazote. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and cook 15 minutes.
Place a handful of fried tortilla strips in each bowl. Ladle the hot broth over the strips. Immediately top with sliced avocado, a drizzle of crema, crumbled queso fresco and strips of chipotle chile. Serve with lime wedges. The tortilla strips should be just beginning to soften — some crunch should remain.
Epazote is the defining herb of sopa de tortilla — it has a wild, astringent, somewhat medicinal flavor unlike any other herb that is essential to the authentic taste. Find it fresh or dried at any Latin grocery store. Cilantro is a reasonable but noticeably different substitute.
Char the tomatoes until the skin is truly blackened in places — the charred bits dissolve into the broth and add a roasted bitterness that is fundamental to the flavor. Barely-charred tomatoes produce a flat soup.
Add the fried tortilla strips to the bowl just before serving, never into the pot — they should soften in the hot broth as the diner eats, going from crunchy to silky-chewy. Pre-soaked strips become uniform mush.
Sopa azteca con pollo: add shredded poached chicken breast to the broth for a heartier, protein-rich version — the standard restaurant preparation throughout Mexico City.
Sopa de lima (Yucatán lime soup): a related Yucatecan variant that uses bitter Seville orange juice and lime, habanero chile and sour orange broth instead of guajillo-pasilla — a bright, citrusy alternative.
Store the broth and fried tortilla strips separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat broth and add fresh tortilla strips when serving — never store assembled bowls. Fried tortilla strips stay crisp in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.
Sopa de tortilla is documented in Mexican cookbooks from the colonial period, utilizing the practical Mexican technique of reviving stale tortillas in broth. The dish became associated with Mexico City home cooking in the 19th and 20th centuries and rose to national prominence in the mid-20th century as a restaurant staple. It is sometimes called 'sopa azteca' in reference to its pre-Columbian ingredients — corn tortillas, dried chiles, tomatoes and epazote — though the soup in its current form is a colonial creation.
Yes, and this is a common shortcut in Mexican home cooking. Use thick, unseasoned tortilla chips — thin flavored chips disintegrate immediately in the hot broth. Freshly fried strips from stale corn tortillas produce a more complex corn flavor, but chips are an acceptable weeknight alternative.
Epazote (Dysphania ambrosioides) is a Mexican herb with a pungent, resinous, slightly medicinal flavor that has no true equivalent. It is available dried or fresh at Latin markets. If unavailable, use fresh cilantro — it produces a lighter, brighter flavor that is different but works well. Some cooks add a sprig of fresh marjoram or Mexican oregano as a partial substitute.
Yes — substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth and omit the chicken topping. The guajillo-pasilla-tomato base already provides substantial umami and depth. This is a common meatless Monday dish in Mexican households.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) · 4 servings total
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