San Antonio Puffy Tacos
Raw masa pressed thin and dropped into hot oil, where it puffs into a light, crisp-chewy shell that is creased into a taco and filled with a beef and potato picadillo.
A puffy taco is not a fried tortilla but fried raw dough. America's Test Kitchen calls it "a San Antonio favorite": fresh masa is shaped and deep-fried until it puffs into a crisp shell. José R. Ralat writes that the "first family" of puffy tacos are the Lopezes: one branch owns Henry's Puffy Tacos in San Antonio, the other Ray's Drive Inn in San Antonio and Arturo's Puffy Tacos in Whittier, California. Food etymologist Barry Popik collects accounts that Henry's opened in 1978, that Henry's Jaime Lopez pitched a puffy taco mascot to the San Antonio Missions baseball team in 1989, and that Ray's has billed itself the "Home of the Original Puffy Taco". Who made the first one is DISPUTED (see Rules).
🇺🇸 This one is American
Raw masa pressed thin and dropped into hot oil, where it puffs into a light, crisp-chewy shell that is creased into a taco and filled with a beef and potato picadillo.
🇲🇽 The original
In Mexico, a taco is a warm, soft corn tortilla with a little meat, salsa, onion and cilantro, eaten standing up at a stand. Cheddar and a crunchy shell aren't part of it. See the Tacos al Pastor (Mexico City Spit-Roasted Pork, Made in a Loaf Pan) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
A saucepan, not a pot
A smaller pan needs less oil and makes the shell easier to fold with two spatulas (ATK).
Hot oil makes the puff
At 375°F the water in thin raw masa flashes to steam and inflates the shell before the outside sets.
Step by step
- Step 1
Cook the beef, potato, pepper and salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat, 6 to 8 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 4 to 6 minutes, until soft, then the garlic and cumin for 30 seconds.
- Step 2
Stir in the flour for 1 minute, add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low about 1 minute, until slightly thick (the beef is well past 160°F). Season, cover and keep warm.
- Step 3
Mix the masa harina and salt, stir in the warm water and knead about 30 seconds, until soft and tacky but not sticky, like modeling clay. Cover with a damp towel and rest 5 minutes. Divide into 12 balls (about 1/4 cup each) and keep them covered.
- Step 4
Line a wire rack in a rimmed sheet with three layers of paper towels. Heat oil 2 1/2 inches deep in a large saucepan over medium-high to 375°F. Cut the sides of a gallon zipper-lock bag, leaving the bottom seam.
- Step 5
Put a dough ball in the opened bag and press it with a clear pie plate into a 6-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Peel off the plastic and slide the round into the oil.
- Step 6
Fry 15 to 20 seconds, until it puffs. Flip it with two metal spatulas, press the center down with one so it folds into a taco shape under the oil, and use the other to hold the top about 1 1/2 inches open. Fry about 60 seconds, until golden. Keep the oil between 350 and 375°F.
- Step 7
Drain the shell upside down on the rack and repeat with the rest, letting the oil come back to 375°F each time. Fill each shell with about 1/4 cup picadillo and serve right away with lettuce, tomato, cheddar and hot sauce.
San Antonio Puffy Tacos
Serves 6 (2 tacos each) · 12 tacos · 1 hr 30 min total
Picadillo
- 12 oz 85% lean ground beef
- 1/2 russet potato (4 oz), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup water
Shells
- 2 1/2 cups (10 oz) masa harina
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 2/3 cups warm water
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
Toppings
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
- Hot sauce
Method
- Cook the beef, potato, pepper and salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat, 6 to 8 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 4 to 6 minutes, until soft, then the garlic and cumin for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour for 1 minute, add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium-low about 1 minute, until slightly thick (the beef is well past 160°F). Season, cover and keep warm.
- Mix the masa harina and salt, stir in the warm water and knead about 30 seconds, until soft and tacky but not sticky, like modeling clay. Cover with a damp towel and rest 5 minutes. Divide into 12 balls (about 1/4 cup each) and keep them covered.
- Line a wire rack in a rimmed sheet with three layers of paper towels. Heat oil 2 1/2 inches deep in a large saucepan over medium-high to 375°F. Cut the sides of a gallon zipper-lock bag, leaving the bottom seam.
- Put a dough ball in the opened bag and press it with a clear pie plate into a 6-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Peel off the plastic and slide the round into the oil.
- Fry 15 to 20 seconds, until it puffs. Flip it with two metal spatulas, press the center down with one so it folds into a taco shape under the oil, and use the other to hold the top about 1 1/2 inches open. Fry about 60 seconds, until golden. Keep the oil between 350 and 375°F.
- Drain the shell upside down on the rack and repeat with the rest, letting the oil come back to 375°F each time. Fill each shell with about 1/4 cup picadillo and serve right away with lettuce, tomato, cheddar and hot sauce.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen (Cook's Country), "Puffy Tacos" by Morgan Bolling (2015), as written (serves 6 to 8, 12 tacos). ATK lists lettuce, tomato and cheddar without amounts; the amounts here are ours. History from José R. Ralat (Serious Eats) and Barry Popik (links in Story). America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- ATK used Maseca instant masa corn flour; if the dough cracks when pressed, reroll the ball and press again.
- Eat them immediately; puffy shells lose their crunch in minutes.
- Fresh masa from a tortilleria puffs even better (ATK's note on tradition).
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Who invented the puffy taco. Disputed: Ray's Drive Inn bills itself as the home of the original; Popik collects the claim that Henry's invented the name in 1978; Henry's Jaime Lopez told a reporter (quoted by Popik), "I can't really say who started it." Say "the Lopez family of San Antonio".
- San Antonio first. Disputed: Popik quotes food writer Robb Walsh saying Austin's El Matamoros served identical "crispy tacos" in the 1950s.
- Fresh masa only. Disputed: ATK's test kitchen made them with masa harina; tradition uses fresh masa (ATK).
- Henry the Puffy Taco is the Missions' mascot. Documented as Jaime Lopez's account (Popik). The year given elsewhere varies (1987 or 1989), so say "since the late 1980s".
Every other taco
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Thin sheets of chile-and-achiote-marinated pork layered with bacon, slow-roasted into a sliceable loaf like a trompo, shaved, crisped and served with roasted pineapple, onion and cilantro.
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