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Oaxaca's fried masa fingers, pinched shut around a filling of chorizo and potato, then crisped in hot lard and dressed with black bean paste, crema, queso fresco, and salsa verde the way the market women of the Central de Abastos have always served them.
This is Oaxacan street food. Not Mexico City, not Puebla. Oaxaca. Specifically the Valles Centrales, where you find molotes at every market stall worth eating at, lined up on sheet pans behind glass cases, fried to order or kept warm on a rack over the fryer. The Central de Abastos, the 20 de Noviembre, the Mercado de la Merced in Oaxaca de Juarez: the women behind those counters have been making these since before you were born, and they'll be making them long after.
A molote is a torpedo of masa, pinched shut at both ends around a filling, and fried until the outside is golden and crackles under your teeth. The filling here is papa y chorizo, which is the most common and, I'll say it, the best. The chorizo renders its fat into the potato and stains everything orange-red. The potato absorbs every bit of that flavor and gives the molote body. You don't need anything complicated inside because the outside is doing the other half of the work: masa made pliable with lard, fried in more lard, so the shell has that particular richness that oil alone cannot give you. La manteca es el sabor.
The dressing is where the dish becomes unmistakably Oaxacan. A smear of frijoles negros refritos across the top, a drizzle of Oaxacan crema (thinner than crema from other states, more pourable, slightly tangy), crumbled queso fresco, and salsa verde made with tomatillo and chile serrano. Every element has a job. The beans give salt and earth. The crema cools the fried shell. The queso adds a dry, crumbly counterpoint. The salsa cuts through the fat. Nothing is decoration. Everything earns its place on the plate.
I learned to shape molotes from a senora named Dona Carmen at the Central de Abastos in 2014. She worked the masa with one hand and pinched the ends shut with the other, and each one came out identical, five inches long, tapered at the tips, smooth as a river stone. Mine looked like they'd been in a fight. She laughed and told me to keep going. By the twentieth one, I had it. That's how you learn this food: by doing it until your hands know the shape. No me vengas con atajos.
The word 'molote' likely derives from Nahuatl roots related to the concept of something rolled or elongated, and the technique of encasing fillings in fried nixtamalized masa predates the Spanish conquest, though the original fillings would have been beans, squash, or wild greens rather than the Old World chorizo and potato that define the modern version. Oaxaca's antojito tradition, which includes molotes alongside tlayudas, memelas, tetelas, and empanadas de amarillo, represents one of the most diverse masa-based street food cultures in Mexico, with each form distinguished by its shape, filling, and cooking method. The Central de Abastos market in Oaxaca de Juarez, the largest market in the state, remains the primary site where these forms are practiced daily by women whose families have held market stalls for generations.
Quantity
2 pounds
or 2 cups masa harina mixed with 1 1/2 cups warm water
Quantity
3 tablespoons
softened, for the masa
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for the masa
Quantity
8 ounces
casings removed
Quantity
3/4 pound
Quantity
1/2 medium
finely diced
Quantity
1 1/2 pounds
for frying
Quantity
1 cup
warm
Quantity
1/2 cup
Quantity
4 ounces
crumbled
Quantity
1 pound
husked and rinsed
Quantity
2
stemmed
Quantity
1
Quantity
1/4 cup
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh masa for tortillasor 2 cups masa harina mixed with 1 1/2 cups warm water | 2 pounds |
| pork lard (manteca de cerdo)softened, for the masa | 3 tablespoons |
| kosher saltfor the masa | 1 teaspoon |
| Mexican chorizocasings removed | 8 ounces |
| waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or red) | 3/4 pound |
| white onionfinely diced | 1/2 medium |
| pork lard or vegetable oilfor frying | 1 1/2 pounds |
| Oaxacan-style refried black beanswarm | 1 cup |
| Oaxacan crema or Mexican crema | 1/2 cup |
| queso frescocrumbled | 4 ounces |
| tomatilloshusked and rinsed | 1 pound |
| fresh chile serranostemmed | 2 |
| garlic clove | 1 |
| fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems | 1/4 cup |
| kosher salt (for salsa) | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
Place the potatoes whole and unpeeled in a saucepan. Cover with cold water by an inch and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook until a knife slides through the center without resistance, about 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size. Drain, let them cool enough to handle, then peel and cut into small dice, about a quarter inch. Set aside.
Crumble the chorizo into a dry skillet over medium heat. You do not need oil. Mexican chorizo carries enough fat in its own mixture to render itself out. Break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon and cook for six to eight minutes, stirring often, until the fat has rendered and the meat is cooked through and starting to crisp at the edges. The pan should be slicked orange-red from the chile and the achiote in the sausage.
Add the diced onion to the chorizo and cook for two minutes until softened. Add the diced potato and stir everything together, pressing lightly so the potato absorbs the rendered chorizo fat. The potato should be stained orange and glistening. Season with salt only if it needs it. The chorizo is already seasoned aggressively. Let the filling cool to room temperature before you start shaping. Hot filling melts the masa and you will not be able to seal the molotes.
If using fresh masa, place it in a large bowl. Add the softened lard and salt. Knead with your hands for three to four minutes until the lard is fully incorporated and the masa is smooth, pliable, and does not crack at the edges when you press it flat. If using masa harina, mix it with the warm water first, let it hydrate for five minutes, then knead in the lard and salt the same way. The masa should feel like soft clay: moist but not sticky, firm but not stiff. If it cracks when you fold a small piece, add water a teaspoon at a time. If it sticks to your hands, add a little more masa harina.
Pinch off a piece of masa about the size of a golf ball, roughly two ounces. Roll it between your palms into a smooth ball. Place the ball on a piece of plastic wrap or a cut-open plastic bag. Press it into an oval disc about five inches long and a quarter inch thick, using your fingers or a tortilla press lined with plastic. Place a tablespoon and a half of the cooled filling down the center, leaving a half inch border on each end. Lift the plastic to fold the masa over the filling lengthwise, pressing the edges to seal. Pinch the ends closed and taper them into points, shaping the molote into a torpedo about five inches long. Smooth the seams with wet fingers. Set the finished molote on a lightly floured tray and repeat with the remaining masa and filling.
While you shape the molotes, bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the tomatillos and chile serrano. Boil for eight to ten minutes until the tomatillos turn from bright green to olive and are soft all the way through. Drain, reserving a quarter cup of the cooking liquid. Transfer the tomatillos, chiles, garlic, cilantro, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth, adding a splash of the reserved liquid if the blender needs help moving. Taste it. It should be tart and bright with a clean serrano bite. Adjust salt. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
In a heavy, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the lard or oil over medium-high heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a thermometer, test with a small piece of masa: it should sizzle immediately and float to the surface within a few seconds. Fry the molotes in batches of three or four, turning them once, for about four to five minutes total until they are deep golden and the surface is covered in small blisters. Do not crowd the pan. Crowding drops the oil temperature and gives you greasy, pale molotes instead of crisp ones. Lift them out with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Not paper towels. A rack lets the air circulate and keeps the bottom from getting soggy.
Place the hot molotes on a plate, two or three per serving. Spread a generous spoonful of warm refried black beans across the top of each one. Drizzle with the crema, letting it fall in uneven lines. Scatter crumbled queso fresco over everything. Spoon the salsa verde alongside or over the top, however the eater wants it. Serve immediately while the shell still crackles. A molote that sits too long is a molote that loses its reason for existing. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.
1 serving (about 450g)
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