Summer is almost here, and that means fresh corn on the cob will be back in season once again. We love fresh corn prepped in a number of ways – on the grill, blistered and topped with a little jalapeno, butter, and lime, boiled with a little sugar and salt, or even roasted, but for the special occasion or weekend indulgence, there’s nothing better than a friend corn cake with spicy chiles and cheese.
A Mexican standard, sopes, or fried corn cakes, also make for a great pairing with tequila, as the sweetness and spice complement each other well. Below, we’ve created a twist on the traditional sopa recipe for you to try at home.
Find more tequila food recipes and Tex Mex recipes here, as well as our best tequila and margarita pairings.
Spicy Mexican Sopes (Fried Corn Cakes)
Crave Local Test Kitchen
- Canola oil for frying
- ½ cup white flour
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3-4 oz cotijo cheese (optional)
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels or one can of corn, drained and patted dry
Directions:
Heat a medium sized frying pan with oil on medium heat.
In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the egg, and add in the milk.
Put the corn, jalapenos, and cheese, if using, into the dry ingredients bowl. Pour in the wet ingredients. Add additional milk, if needed. it should have the consistency of a thick cake batter, or a very soft dough.
Drop using a tablespoon into the oil; brown on both sides, approximately 4 to 5 minutes, being careful not to burn them.