Mexican Recipes

NYT Cooking

Aug 27, 2025

Aguachile Shrimp Salad

Aguachile, the fiery dish from Mexico’s Pacific coast, means “chile water,” a reference to the bold sauce, which blends lime juice, dried chiles, fresh serranos, cilantro and cucumbers. Fresh raw shellfish, such as shrimp or scallops, are marinated and lightly cooked by the acid. Here, the aguachile sauce is swirled into sour cream with just a touch of mayo to turn it into a silky and electric dressing for quickly boiled shrimp, and thinly sliced tomatillos add a crisp, gooseberry-like freshness. Since the shrimp is cooked, the dish travels well, making it the perfect centerpiece for a picnic or a summer get-together. Feel free to use shell-on shrimp if you prefer and peel them after cooking.

NYT Cooking

Aug 6, 2025

Carlota de Limón (Lime Icebox Cake)

Carlota de limón is an iconic Mexican icebox cake that transforms just four ingredients into something greater than the sum of its parts. This refreshing dessert combines tart lime juice with creamy condensed milk between crisp cookie layers that become moist as the cake chills. Synonymous with asadas (cookouts) and family gatherings, it is traditionally served directly from the dish in which it’s assembled, making it a great portable dessert to bring to your next potluck. Maria cookies are a staple in Latino grocery stores and bodegas and are increasingly available at any supermarket. Vanilla wafers (like Nilla) work as a substitute, though they absorb less liquid at first than the Maria cookies do, resulting in a more textured, but still delicious, bite.

NYT Cooking

Aug 5, 2025

Fresas con Crema (Strawberries and Cream)

This classic Mexican dessert features fresh strawberries swimming in sweetened cream that tastes like melted ice cream. It's summer in a cup! Popular throughout Mexico and at Mexican celebrations, fresas con crema is a crowd-pleasing dessert that’s refreshing on a hot summer day and comes together in just 20 minutes. Serve half-portions to yield 8 servings, or double the recipe to generously serve a crowd. Fresas con crema will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days; the chill will also thicken the cream slightly. Try this same cream mixture with other summer fruit like raspberries, golden berries, blueberries, or sweet or tart cherries.

Serious Eats

Aug 1, 2025

This 5-Ingredient Corn Salad Is a Little Sweet, a Little Tangy, and Entirely Delicious

This riff on a restaurant's "Japanese elotes" is my favorite use for summer's fresh corn and herbs.

Serious Eats

Jul 29, 2025

Never Heard of Mole Blanco? You're Missing Out on Summer's Best Sauce

Mexico's creamy mole blanco swaps the smoky char of mole negro for pale chiles, white chocolate, and toasted nuts in a subtly sweet, savory sauce that's perfect over roast chicken, turkey, or white fish.

Serious Eats

Jul 27, 2025

This Zesty, No-Bake Dessert Is Tangy, Creamy, and Totally Irresistible

Bolis de Pay de Limón are creamy, tart ice pops with vanilla cookie crumbs swirled in to emulate classic key lime pie.

NYT Cooking

Jul 24, 2025

Chamoy

Chamoy, a vibrant and tangy family of sauces and condiments from Mexico, is traditionally made with fruit and mild dried chiles (and sometimes mango, tamarind or hibiscus flowers as well). To make your own at home, grab those stone fruits on your counter and simmer them with dried chiles until softened, then blend with sugar, tamarind, vinegar and orange juice into something electric and tangy. Taste along the way to dial in the sweetness and tartness, so it’s exactly as jammy or restrained as you want. Just like tajín, chamoy makes a delicious accent for watermelon, jicama and cucumber spears. It’s also delicious drizzled over fruit salad, layered into mangonadas or used on the rim of micheladas. Think of chamoy as the syrup on a sundae, but much more thrilling in flavor.

Serious Eats

Jul 23, 2025

Move Over Lasagna—Pastel Azteca Is Saucy, Layered, and So Much More Fun

This Mexican comfort classic, pastel Azteca layers fried tortillas, saucy shredded chicken, and a trio of creamy cheeses into a baked dish that's like lasagna's spicier, cheesier cousin.

Food52

Jul 8, 2025

Chai Masala Tamales From Masala y Maiz

Sweet, spiced, and unforgettable--these chai masala tamales from Masala y Maiz blend Indian and Mexican flavors for a unique twist on a classic dish.

NYT Cooking

Jun 30, 2025

Shrimp Aguachile

Aguachile, the bright and punchy seafood dish from coastal Sinaloa, Mexico, gets its name (which translates to “chile water”) from the vibrant blend of chiles, lime juice and salt that transform the sweet flesh of raw shrimp into tender, tart flavor bombs. Unlike ceviche, where seafood marinates in citrus until it's fully “cooked,” aguachile hits the table soon after the shrimp meets the zesty chile water. While the aguachile is on your plate, the lime juice continues its work on the sweet, delicate shrimp, so each bite offers a slightly different texture without ever turning rubbery. Use as many serranos as your heart desires and your palate can handle.

Food52

Jun 25, 2025

Kalbi Marinated Short Ribs

NYT Cooking

Jun 24, 2025

Enchiladas Suizas (Creamy Chicken Enchiladas) 

Enchiladas Suizas are sort of a lie. They are neither chile-laden nor from Switzerland. The name likely comes from using an abundance of cream and cheese in the recipe, which Mexicans associate with the alpine country due to its famous dairy production. These enchiladas, a combination of lightly fried corn tortillas filled with tender shredded chicken, bathed in velvety salsa verde and blanketed with melted cheese, were invented in the early 20th century at the famed Sanborns de los Azulejos, a Mexican café chain that turned the dish into a cultural icon throughout Mexico. That salsa verde? It is swirled into cream with a simple roux to keep the thickened salsa from separating and to tame any heat that you might expect from serrano chiles. For a weeknight-friendly version, shredded rotisserie chicken can save you some time.

Serious Eats

Jun 20, 2025

The Simple Make-Ahead Move for the Best Frozen Margarita

What's better than a brain-freezing margarita to cool off on a hot day? To create the best slushy, restaurant-style frozen margaritas at home, just freeze your margarita base the night before.

NYT Cooking

Jun 9, 2025

Lamb Barbacoa

In classic preparations of barbacoa, large chunks of meat are coated in a chile-and-vinegar marinade, topped with avocado leaves, wrapped in banana leaves and buried underground in a pit to roast gently. It’s found throughout Mexico, with different seasonings and accompaniments. Geared to home cooks, this recipe roasts the lamb gently in an oven. Wrapping the meat with banana leaves is optional, but they add an earthy aroma that will fool you into thinking you just pulled your barbacoa out of an earthen oven. Serve with warm corn tortillas, minced onion, cilantro and lime wedges, plus a bowl of the cooking liquid set alongside for dipping.

Serious Eats

Jun 6, 2025

Shrimp Scampi Meets Salsa Verde in This Weeknight-Friendly Pasta

Shrimp scampi meets salsa verde in this spicy, citrusy, cilantro-packed pasta dish.

NYT Cooking

Jun 6, 2025

Fideo Verde Seco (Garlic Shrimp and Cilantro Noodles)

Fideo, a staple comfort dish in Mexican home cooking, is prepared in two popular styles: sopa de fideo, a tomato-based broth soup typically served as a first course, and then there's fideo seco — the spoonable main course where pasta is toasted in olive oil until golden and nutty (just like a rice pilaf), then drowned in a bright-tasting, herby salsa verde made with whatever’s hanging around your fridge (cilantro! sad spinach! that half-used bunch of basil!). All the greens get blitzed with jalapeño for a subtle kick. Right before the pasta absorbs all that flavor, add thinly sliced asparagus or other quick-cooking vegetables, like peas, for a fresh summer moment. Finish with a drizzle of crema, a shower of crumbly salty cheese and more fresh herbs. Top it with garlicky shrimp and eat it with a fork, or stuff it into a tortilla.

NYT Cooking

May 28, 2025

Tepache (Fizzy Fermented Pineapple Drink)

Refreshing, earthy and lightly sweetened, tepache is a popular fermented drink from Mexico. Traditionally, the main ingredients are piloncillo (a Mexican variety of raw cane sugar), pineapple peels (and sometimes the core) and water. For best results, use a very ripe pineapple. You can also add spices like cinnamon, cloves or fresh ginger. Fermentation time depends on the environment: In warm weather (75 to 85 degrees), it could be ready in 2 to 3 days; in cooler weather, it can take 5 to 7 days. Taste the tepache regularly; when ready, it will be frothy on the surface and slightly fizzy on the tongue, and will taste and smell pleasantly fermented. (Be mindful that if the tepache ferments for too long, it will turn into vinegar.) You can serve tepache on ice as is, or dilute and sweeten it to taste by adding water and sugar.

NYT Cooking

May 23, 2025

Easy Chicken Torta

This hearty sandwich, based on a classic Mexican torta, strikes a perfect balance between crunchy toasted bread, flavorful chile-seasoned chicken cutlets pressed thin and pan-fried, and creamy avocado, mayo and refried beans with brightness from a squeeze of lime. This recipe is designed to be simple and uses an egg-free cornstarch coating instead of traditional breading, allowing the flavor and texture of the chicken to shine through. While bollilo rolls are traditional and worth seeking out at a Mexican bakery or supermarket, Portuguese or French rolls make a fine substitute. Serve with your favorite salsa on the side for an extra punch of flavor and don’t skimp on the pickled jalapeños!

Serious Eats

May 21, 2025

How to Make Mole Negro: Mexico’s Smokiest, Boldest Sauce

Food writer Octavio Peña leads you on a deep dive into Oaxacan mole negro, Mexico's iconic velvety, rich sauce made with dried chiles, nuts, chocolate, and centuries of culinary history. Pair it with poached chicken or turkey, spoon it over roasted vegetables, or scoop it up with warm tortillas.

NYT Cooking

May 16, 2025

Atole de Grano (Savory Corn Porridge With Chicken)

Atole is often thought of as a sweet, drinkable corn-based beverage, but in parts of Mexico, it also refers to this hearty, savory porridge made with masa harina and hominy. This version, inspired by the traditional atole de grano, is thick, creamy and deeply comforting — perfect for showcasing the variety of textures and flavors that different forms of corn can bring. Here, sweet corn kernels and chewy hominy add dimension to the velvety base, while a topping of roasted chicken and caramelized poblanos brings savory depth. A final flourish of lime, chicharrones and hot sauce adds brightness and crunch. Quick to come together and endlessly adaptable, this dish is a warm embrace in a bowl.

Food52

May 13, 2025

Grilled Mushroom Tacos by Andrea Aliseda

Easy plant-based tacos. While it’s typically made with thin cuts of steak, this recipe calls for meaty oyster mushrooms. Their tender flesh gets pressed to expel any extra moisture and render a savory sear.

Serious Eats

May 3, 2025

50/50 Margarita

A margarita featuring mezcal, sherry, lime juice, and Cointreau, served in a rocks glass with a spicy salted rim.

NYT Cooking

May 2, 2025

Egg and Cheese Toasts With Salsa

In Mexico, huevos ahogados (“drowned eggs”) typically refers to eggs gently poached in a vibrant salsa. This version flips the idea into a speedy, satisfying breakfast (or weeknight dinner) by layering crisp-edged fried eggs over cheesy, broiled bolillo toasts and smothering them in a bright, spicy tomato salsa. It's a dish built for flexibility: Use just one serrano for a mild sauce or three for serious heat, and swap in Monterey Jack if you can’t find queso Chihuahua. Finished with creamy avocado and a sprinkle of cilantro, it’s rich, hearty and perfect for sopping up every last bit of salsa.

Food52

May 2, 2025

Chartreuse Margarita

An herbal twist on a classic, this margarita uses mezcal and chartreuse to bring a smokey depth.