Tacos de Canasta (Basket Tacos)
Corn tortillas flashed through garlic-and-onion-scented oil, filled with a warm tomato, chile and fresh cheese mixture, then stacked in a towel-lined basket to steam soft.
Tacos de canasta, also called tacos sudados ("sweaty tacos"), are made ahead, packed into a lined basket and sold warm on the street. Wikipedia says tacos were sold from baskets in Mexico City as early as the Porfiriato, but the basket tacos known today began in the 1950s in San Vicente Xiloxochitla, about 10 km southwest of the city of Tlaxcala, where hard times in farming pushed families into the trade; today vendors leave town by bicycle or truck each morning for Puebla and Mexico City. The same article lists the four classic fillings as potato, chicharrón, beans and adobo, and says the basket is lined with kraft paper and plastic and covered with cloth to keep the tacos warm for hours.
Why it works the kitchen science
Oil, then steam
The quick dip in hot oil coats each tortilla so it turns silky, not soggy, while it steams in the closed basket.
Seasoned oil
Browning onion and garlic in the oil first carries their flavor into every tortilla and into the filling.
Step by step
- Step 1
Line the basket with plastic wrap big enough to fold over the top, lay the towels in the bottom, then line the bottom and sides with paper.
- Step 2
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion slice and garlic and cook at least 10 minutes, until well browned, to flavor the oil. Lift them out.
- Step 3
With tongs, pass each tortilla through the hot oil about 3 seconds per side and drain on a rack or paper towels.
- Step 4
Heat 3 tbsp of the seasoned oil in a second skillet over medium. Cook the scallions and jalapeño 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook, stirring now and then, 8 to 10 minutes, until very soft. Stir in the cilantro, cook 2 minutes and take off the heat. Fold the tomato mixture into the requesón and taste for salt.
- Step 5
Heat a comal or dry skillet over medium. Spoon a couple of generous tablespoons of filling onto each tortilla and fold it into a half-moon. Heat the tacos on the comal about 1 minute per side.
- Step 6
Stack the hot tacos in layers in the basket, cover with paper, then a towel, and fold the plastic over everything. Let them sweat at least 10 minutes, keeping them covered until you serve, and eat them while hot.
Tacos de Canasta (Basket Tacos)
Serves 4 (3 tacos each) · 12 tacos · 1 hr 5 min total
The basket
- A basket, a heavy pot or a small cooler, plus a large sheet of plastic wrap, 2 kitchen towels and parchment or butcher paper
Seasoned oil and tortillas
- Vegetable oil, 1/2 inch deep in a large skillet
- 1/2-inch slice of white onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 12 corn tortillas
Filling
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 lb Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or epazote
- 1 lb requesón or farmer's cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)
To serve
- Salsa, sliced avocado or pickled jalapeños
Method
- Line the basket with plastic wrap big enough to fold over the top, lay the towels in the bottom, then line the bottom and sides with paper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion slice and garlic and cook at least 10 minutes, until well browned, to flavor the oil. Lift them out.
- With tongs, pass each tortilla through the hot oil about 3 seconds per side and drain on a rack or paper towels.
- Heat 3 tbsp of the seasoned oil in a second skillet over medium. Cook the scallions and jalapeño 3 to 4 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook, stirring now and then, 8 to 10 minutes, until very soft. Stir in the cilantro, cook 2 minutes and take off the heat. Fold the tomato mixture into the requesón and taste for salt.
- Heat a comal or dry skillet over medium. Spoon a couple of generous tablespoons of filling onto each tortilla and fold it into a half-moon. Heat the tacos on the comal about 1 minute per side.
- Stack the hot tacos in layers in the basket, cover with paper, then a towel, and fold the plastic over everything. Let them sweat at least 10 minutes, keeping them covered until you serve, and eat them while hot.
Adapted from Pati Jinich, "Tacos de Canasta", as written (12 tacos), with a fresh cheese and tomato filling. History from Wikipedia (link in Story). patijinich.com. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (2)
Tips
- Pati says the tacos can be eaten straight off the comal, but they are only "basket" or "sweaty" tacos after the rest.
- Ricotta drained in a sieve works if you can't find requesón or farmer's cheese.
- Leftover filling is good on a tostada.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Born in San Vicente Xiloxochitla. Documented as the usual account (Wikipedia, which calls the town "la cuna", the cradle); selling tacos from baskets is older (Wikipedia).
- The four classic fillings: potato, chicharrón, beans, adobo. Documented (Wikipedia). Pati's cheese filling is one of many modern options.
- Vendors sell them from bicycles. Documented (Wikipedia). Who first put a basket on a bicycle is not something we could source.
- A denomination of origin for tacos de canasta. Disputed: search results say a Mexican lawmaker proposed one in 2023; we found nothing showing it was granted. Do not say it exists.
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