Tacos in a Basket? Yes Please!

plate of tacos de canasta topped with pickled jalapeños and carrots, and salsa
March 25, 2024
Tacos de canasta are such a ubiquitous street food in Mexico City, it never occurred to us to make them at home — until we were back in the States and the craving hit. Tacos de canasta, also known as tacos sudados, are typically prepared by stacking formed tacos in a canasta, or basket, and pouring hot oil over them before covering with paper and a kitchen towel to steam.

There are many ways to make tacos de canasta at home. They can be cooked over a stovetop, in a pan with water and a lid, or in the oven with a baking dish and water. We followed the traditional steaming method, inspired by Freddsters. Paint day-old tortillas with a chile-infused oil before stuffing them with your choice of fillings and folding like a taco. Then arrange them in a steamer basket (our canasta), and steam over boiling water. This softens the tortillas and infuses them with flavor. One tip? Stick with fillings that are on the drier side, like mashed potatoes, chorizo, requeson, chicharron, and frijoles (and feel free to mix two or three inside each taco!). Top them with pickled carrots and jalapeños, salsa, and steamed onions to complete the dish.
Tacos de Canasta

Tacos de Canasta

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup of neutral oil

  • 8-10 guajillo chiles, deseeded

  • ½ white onion, roughly chopped

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • Filling options of your choice, such as mashed potatoes, chorizo, requeson, chicharron, frijoles

  • Store-bought or day-old homemade tortillas

  • To serve: salsa and pickled jalapeños and carrots

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a sauté pan and fry the chiles, onion, and garlic until softened.

  2. Reserve the oil in the pan (you’ll need it in a few minutes). Transfer the cooked chiles, onion, and garlic to a blender and puree until smooth.

  3. Strain the sauce to remove any solid bits.

  4. Dip each tortilla into the strained mixture and fry each side for about 5 seconds, just until they soften.

  5. Fill a tortilla with 2 heaping tablespoons of your filling (you can mix 2 or 3 fillings to create a mixture) and fold in half like a taco. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

  6. Arrange the filled tortillas in a steamer basket, around the perimeter so they overlap in stacks. Fill the middle of the steamer basket with sliced onions. Pour water into the bottom of the steamer.

  7. Steam the tacos for about 30 minutes.

  8. Remove the tacos from the heat and serve, topped with pickled carrots and jalapeños, salsa, and steamed onions. Serve and enjoy!

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