Chilaquiles rojos (crispy tortilla chilaquiles with eggs and queso)
Crisp corn-tortilla chips tossed in a bright tomato-chilli salsa, topped with creamy soured cream, vegetarian queso fresco and fried eggs.
Chilaquiles are the Mexican answer to transforming leftover tortillas into something celebratory. This red-salsa version keeps it simple: crisp fried tortilla wedges, a bright tomato-chilli salsa and oozy fried eggs for breakfast, brunch or a lively supper.
They sing because of contrast — crunch, saucy warmth and cool soured cream — and they’re embarrassingly easy once the salsa is made. Serve with refried beans or a simple salad if you like, but they’re perfectly happy on their own.
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas
- 500 ml vegetable oil — for frying; some will be left in the pan
- 400 g tinned plum tomatoes
- 1 brown onion — medium
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 fresh red chillies — remove seeds for less heat
- 150 ml vegetable stock — warm
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml caster sugar
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to season chips and eggs
- 5 ml black pepper
- 150 g vegetarian queso fresco — crumbled
- 100 g soured cream
- 10 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 2 limes — cut into wedges
- 4 eggs — large
Equipment
- blender or food processor
- frying thermometer
- baking tray
- slotted spoon
- tongs
Instructions
Prepare veg: peel and finely chop the brown onion. Peel and slice the garlic cloves. Halve the fresh red chillies, remove seeds if you want it milder and roughly chop.
Make the salsa base: heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion and sweat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic cloves and fresh red chillies and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Tip in the tinned plum tomatoes, vegetable stock, ground cumin, dried oregano, caster sugar, sea salt and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes to concentrate the flavours.
Blitz the cooked sauce until smooth using a blender or food processor (take care with hot liquids). Return to the pan and simmer gently for another 5 minutes to thicken and marry the flavours.
While the salsa reduces, cut the corn tortillas into quarters. Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to hot (ideally 180°C) for deep frying. Fry the tortilla quarters in batches until crisp and golden, 2–3 minutes per batch. Drain on kitchen paper and season with a little sea salt while hot.
Drain the fried chips briefly on kitchen paper so they're not dripping oil and set aside.
Warm the salsa over a medium heat until simmering. Add the fried tortilla chips and gently toss or stir for 1–2 minutes so they are evenly coated but still hold some crunch.
In a separate frying pan, heat a little vegetable oil and fry the eggs to your liking (sunny-side up or over-easy) — about 3–5 minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
To serve, pile the sauced chips on warm plates, scatter over the crumbled vegetarian queso fresco and dollop with soured cream. Top each portion with a fried egg and finish with fresh coriander and lime wedges.
Tips
- If you don’t want to deep-fry, bake the tortilla quarters on a baking tray at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 10–12 minutes, turning once, until crisp.
- Make the salsa a day ahead — the flavours improve overnight. Reheat gently before tossing with the chips.
- When blitzing hot salsa, cool it for a few minutes and hold the blender lid slightly open to avoid splashes.
- Salt the chips the moment they come out of the oil so the seasoning sticks.
- If serving a crowd, keep chips separate and let people dress their portion at the table to avoid everyone’s serving going soggy.
Substitutions
vegetable oil → light olive oil or sunflower oil in same quantity
Stays closecorn tortillas → tortilla chips (shop-bought), 300 g roughly, add directly to warmed salsa
Stays closevegetarian queso fresco → crumbled feta, 150 g
Noticeably differentsoured cream → Greek yoghurt, 100 g
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 570
- Calories
- 16 g
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 750 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make chilaquiles ahead of time?
Make the salsa a day ahead and keep chips separate. Toss chips with salsa only a few minutes before serving to retain crunch.
How do I stop the chilaquiles getting soggy?
Critical step: toss chips in sauce for only 1–2 minutes. Serve immediately and salt chips right after frying so they stay crisp longer.
Can I bake the tortillas instead of frying?
Yes — bake at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 10–12 minutes on a baking tray, turning once, until crisp.
What if I can't find queso fresco?
Use a mild crumbly cheese such as crumbled feta (flavour will be tangier) or ricotta salata for a closer texture.
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