Chilaquiles
Chilaquiles is Mexico's rescue breakfast — a way to use yesterday's tortillas. The chips go into the simmering salsa at the very last minute, so they soften only at the edges and keep a crunchy centre. A fried egg with a runny yolk crowns it all.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Salsa roja 15 min
- Tortilla chips 10 min
- Fried eggs 5 min
- Bringing it together 3 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneChar the vegetables
Heat a dry pan over high heat. Lay the halved tomatoes cut side down, the onion quarters, the unpeeled garlic and the whole chilli. Char for 8–10 minutes, turning, until black spots appear. They give the salsa its smoky character.
Ingredients: 500 g tomatoes · 1 pcs onion · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs fresh chilli · ½ tsp cumin · 1 tsp salt · 2 tbsp oil
Black spots are not burning — they are flavour.Blend and reduce
Peel the garlic, remove the chilli stem and blend everything with cumin and salt until smooth. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wide pan and pour in the salsa — it will hiss. Cook for 5 minutes until thickened and darkened.
Ingredients: 500 g tomatoes · 1 pcs onion · 2 cloves garlic · 1 pcs fresh chilli · ½ tsp cumin · 1 tsp salt · 2 tbsp oil
TipFrying the blended salsa in hot oil (in Spanish, freír la salsa) is a classic Mexican technique — the sauce loses its raw edge and gains depth.
Fry the chips
Cut the tortillas into eighths. Heat the oil in a second pan and fry the triangles in 2–3 batches for 1–2 minutes per side until stiff and golden — about 10 minutes in total. Drain on a rack and salt immediately.
Ingredients: 8 pcs corn tortillas · 150 ml oil · 2 pcs eggs · 60 g feta · ½ bunch coriander · 1 pcs lime · 3 tbsp sour cream
TipStale tortillas soak up less oil. Dry fresh ones for 10 minutes in a 150°C oven.
The chip must be stiff — a soft one falls apart in salsa.Fry the eggs
In a small pan with a little oil fry 2 eggs — whites set, yolks runny. Set them aside on a warm plate; they go on top in a moment.
Ingredients: 8 pcs corn tortillas · 150 ml oil · 2 pcs eggs · 60 g feta · ½ bunch coriander · 1 pcs lime · 3 tbsp sour cream
Combine at the last moment
Bring the salsa back to the boil — if it is very thick, loosen it with 3–4 tablespoons of water. Tip the chips into the bubbling salsa and toss for 30–45 seconds — just enough for every piece to be coated but not soggy. Take off the heat, divide between plates, add the eggs, crumble over the feta, scatter coriander and squeeze lime. Finish with sour cream.
Ingredients: 8 pcs corn tortillas · 150 ml oil · 2 pcs eggs · 60 g feta · ½ bunch coriander · 1 pcs lime · 3 tbsp sour cream
TipChilaquiles do not wait. You have one minute from mixing to the table — after that it is a casserole.
Thirty seconds in the salsa and straight onto the plate.
Before you start
Verdes version
Swap the tomatoes for 500 g of tomatillos or green tomatoes — you get a sharper, brighter salsa verde.
Shop-bought chips
Good unsalted tortilla chips work in an emergency version. Choose thick ones, as thin ones dissolve in the salsa.
With chicken
Add a handful of shredded roast chicken to the salsa — chilaquiles become a full dinner.
