I don't normally post anything here on GreenLiteBites I didn't cook in my own kitchen but today I'm making an exception.
Last week I was on my first cruise thanks to Princess Cruises and The American Heart Association. Part of my adventure included a shore excursion at both ports of call (Grand Cayman and Cozumel) and one of the options was a Mexican cooking class.
I was all about it and brought Mom along for the ride!
We made a 3-course meal but today I'm only going to share the appetizer which was, by far my favorite part of the class. Mostly because I never heard of sope before and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!
A sope is a traditional Mexican dish served on -- for lack of better words -- a thick tortilla shaped into a bowl. I believe it's normally topped with beans or chicken, lettuce, onions and cheese but we used small shrimp in the class and they were delicious.
This dish was also my first experience using chipotle peppers. Why I was hesitant with them, I never know. I am now IN LOVE and already bought a small can for my pantry.
I'm going to share the recipe as it was provided but unfortunately I don't have photos of all the steps. It's much easier to manage the camera when cooking on my own than in a class with a funny chef running around instructing and trying to keep 20 students on course.
Here's what we did…
Ingredients
- 200g corn flour, aka masa harina (~1 â…” cups)
- 20g wheat flour (~2.5 tbsp)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small can chipotle peppers (50ml)
- 200g small shrimp (~24 small shrimp)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup tomato puree (200ml)
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream, plus more for drizzling
- Shredded lettuce
- 2oz crumbled Mexican cheese, such as cotija
Instructions
In a bowl add the corn flour, wheat flour and a pinch of salt.
Mix adding water until you get the consistency of Play-Doh.
Using your hands, roll the dough into 4 small balls.
Press with the bottom of a pot or a plate to flatten the balls. (we used a tortilla press but I'm going to assume you don't have one. I don't!)
Note: We used a bit of olive oil. Spray would work, too.
Warm in a non-stick pan, flip when it dries and begins to brown. Then form into a little bowl using your fingers. Be careful, it's hot!
Onto the filling!
Blend the can of chipotle peppers and its sauce until it's smooth.
In a small pan cook the shrimp in a teaspoon of olive oil until they turn pink.
Add the tomato puree and the chipotle sauce to taste (it's spicy!). We used about half.
Add the tablespoon of heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir well and cook until hot.
(Sorry, I have no photos of this. We were moving quickly as small shrimp don't take long to cook at all.)
Arrange the shrimp on the sopes.
They already looked so pretty.
Top with shredded lettuce, a drizzle of cream and the cheese.
Gorgeous! I can't believe I made that!
And it was so fun to eat!
The shrimp really worked with the spices and tomato sauce they were cooked in, the lettuce added that slightly crunchy texture and the cheese and cream lightened everything up. I thought I wasn't going to like the thick corn base but it was really delicious. I hope to make this one again! Maybe a fun Mexican dinner party.
Maybe one day I'll have a dinner party! lol
Nutritional info is hard to estimate as most of the sauce stayed in the pan. Actually one of the instructors was making fun of me because I made a sad face when he took it away. I kept "tasting" it. I couldn't believe how good it was. Here's my best guess…
📖 Recipe
Cooking Class Experience: Devil-Style Shrimp Sopes
Ingredients
- 200 g corn flour aka masa harina (~1 â…” cups)
- 20 g wheat flour ~2.5 tbsp
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small can chipotle peppers 50ml
- 200 g small shrimp ~24 small shrimp
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup tomato puree 200ml
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream plus more for drizzling
- Shredded lettuce
- 2 oz crumbled Mexican cheese such as cotija
Instructions
- In a bowl add the corn flour, wheat flour and a pinch of salt.200 g corn flour, Salt and pepper to taste, 20 g wheat flour
- Mix adding water until you get the consistency of Play-Doh.
- Using your hands, roll the dough into 4 small balls.
- Press with the bottom of a pot or a plate to flatten the balls. (we used a tortilla press but I'm going to assume you don't have one. I don't!)
- Warm in a non-stick pan, flip when it dries and begins to brown. Then form into a little bowl using your fingers. Be careful, it's hot!
- Blend the can of chipotle peppers and its sauce until it's smooth.
- In a small pan cook the shrimp in a teaspoon of olive oil until they turn pink.1 teaspoon olive oil, 200 g small shrimp
- Add the tomato puree and the chipotle sauce to taste (it's spicy!). We used about half.1 cup tomato puree, 1 small can chipotle peppers
- Add the tablespoon of heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste.1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Stir well and cook until hot.
- Arrange the shrimp on the sopes.
- Top with shredded lettuce, a drizzle of cream and the cheese.Shredded lettuce, 2 oz crumbled Mexican cheese
Stephanie
My friend and I just took this same excursion and we made these sopes. They are INCREDIBLE and so easy! I am making them again tomorrow just because I am craving them! Going to do shrimp and some chicken in the same delicious sauce!
Becky
I see you're having a wonderful time at the cooking course! You and your mom look great!
Personally, I've never even entertained the idea of cooking Mexican food, and I'm not even a fan of seafood, but this looks incredibly delicious and seems kind of easy to cook as well, so maybe it's time for me to try these two things I've never done before.
I love all the other simple recipes you come up with and I'm glad this one is just as uncomplicated.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂