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Picadas veracruzanas
Veracruz breakfast masa cakes with pinched rims, red and green salsa and cheese
Breakfast in the port of Veracruz and in Xalapa often starts with picadas at a market fonda or a café by the harbour: palm-sized rounds of fresh masa, cooked on the comal, then pinched all around while hot (picar means to pinch) to make little ridges that catch the salsa. Half are spooned with red salsa and half with green, then scattered with onion and crumbled cheese, and eaten with black coffee. Cooks there drizzle them with hot pork lard; this recipe uses a little oil instead. Chef's tip: wet your fingertips in cold water before pinching, so you can work the hot masa without burning yourself.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the masa
For the red salsa
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Simmer 3 ripe tomatoes, 2 dried chile de árbol or 1 jalapeño and 1 garlic clove in water for 10 minutes until the tomato skins split. Blend with ½ tsp salt and a splash of the cooking water into a pourable red salsa.
10 minStep 2: Mix 10 ½ oz masa harina with the rest of the salt and 1 ¾ cups warm water into a soft, smooth dough that does not crack when pressed. Divide into 12 balls and keep them covered.
Step 3: Press each ball into a round about 10 cm across and 5 mm thick. Cook on a hot comal over a medium heat for 2 minutes a side, until the underside is dry with brown spots.
12 minStep 4: While each cake is hot, lay it on a cloth and pinch all over the top surface with wet fingertips, raising a rim around the edge and little peaks inside. Common mistake: waiting until the cakes cool; the masa then cracks instead of pinching.
Step 5: Put the picadas back on the comal, brush each with a little 2 tbsp vegetable oil and heat for 1 minute until the base crisps. Spoon red salsa over half and ¾ cup salsa verde over the rest.
3 minStep 6: Scatter with ½ white onion and 3 ½ oz queso fresco or a crumbly white cheese, and add a little 4 tbsp Mexican crema or soured cream if you like. Serve straight away, three per person.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does picadas veracruzanas take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
- What can I use instead of garlic clove?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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