| Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 3 hours | Difficulty: Medium | Serves: 6 |
| kcal | fat | saturates | carbs |
| 400 | 20g | 7g | 24g |
| sugars | fibre | protein | salt |
| 5g | 5g | 25g | 1.6g |
Why I Love Mexican Carnitas Sopes
There’s a close-to-heart sentiment wrapped up in every bite of the Carnitas Sopes. A dish so rich and comforting, it exquisitely showcases the warm generosity of home-style Mexican cuisine, while capturing a delightful fusion that echoes my Seattle-Pacfic and Japanese upbringing. Diving deep into my culinary journey, it’s a recipe that brings unexplored flavours to the fore and allows me to express my food philosophy.
The Inspiration behind my Carnitas Sopes
The Carnitas Sopes delicately blends the soulful, vibrant Mexican pantry with an inspired touch borne from my travel to Mexico and years of immersion in diverse culinary traditions. The renowned chef Enrique Olvera once said “your food, your body, your health, they’re all a reflection of your culture”. His words resonated with me, reinforcing my belief of how crucial it is for a dish to reflect its cultural backdrop. I loved the idea of taking ingredients from two distinct cuisines and melding them into a delightful harmony. The sopes, a traditional Mexican dish, evolved into something special with a personal touch, the result being this one of a kind recipe.
Mexican Cuisine and Beyond
This recipe is reminiscent to a Mexican version of ‘open toast’ because of the exquisite toppings on a beautifully cooked sopas base. The pork shoulder cooked in a marinade of orange juice, lime juice, and spices coriander, cumin mirrors an appetite whetting synergy of flavours, something I love to create in my seafood recipes, a tribute to my Japanese culinary roots. The crunchiness of the sopas, the pull-apart succulence of the pork shoulder and the creaminess of queso fresco all come together for a mouth-explosion of sorts.
The Carnitas Sopes would pair beautifully with something earthy on the side, like a chickpea salad or a hearty Mexican charred corn salad. Wash it all down with a margarita and you have that perfect meal that celebrates flavours, life and good food.
Every bite of Carnitas Sopes captures the magic of inspired, innovative cooking where cultures blend and joie de vivre is served on the plate. It’s more than a meal, it’s a gustatory journey that highlights the exciting adventures mingling in the pot of diverse cuisines.
What You’ll Need
- 2 pounds of pork shoulder
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 1/4 cup of lime juice
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 6 prefab sopes
- 2 cups of refried beans
- 1/2 cup of crumbled queso fresco
- 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup of diced onion
- 1/2 cup of Mexican crema
- 1/2 cup of salsa of your choice
Method
Step One
Place the pork shoulder in a slow cooker. Season it with salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, and ground coriander. Pour this mixture over the pork.
Step Two
Cover the slow cooker and cook the pork on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Once the pork is tender and easily shreds with a fork, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it using two forks.
Step Three
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shredded pork and cook it until it’s crispy and browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Be sure to stir the pork occasionally to make sure it crisps evenly and doesn’t stick to the pan.
Step Four
As the pork is crisping, heat the prefab sopes according to the instructions on the package. Once they’re heated, spread a layer of refried beans on each sope.
Step Five
After the beans, add a layer of the crispy pork to each sope. Next, top the pork with the crumbled queso fresco, chopped cilantro, and diced onion.
Step Six
Finally, drizzle each sope with the Mexican crema and salsa of your choice. Your Carnitas Sopes are now ready to serve and enjoy!
