• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

La Piña en la Cocina

Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Mexican at Heart
    • Media
  • Contact
  • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
Home » Salsa~Salsa » Guacamole » Guacamole & Totopos!

Guacamole & Totopos!

May 10, 20232 Comments

67 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

My earliest memories of enjoying guacamole & totopos is as a very young child. I wanted guacamole over baby food, lol! Really the only real memories I have of food as a baby are fideo, scrambled eggs, rice with beans and guacamole, of course. Then I learned to enjoy menudo and barbarcoa, lengua, ha, ha, ha! I could only eat menudo if it had plenty of maiz(hominy), a lot of lime and a bolillo to dip into the broth.

guacamole close up in molcajete

Avocados Were And Still Are A Staple In My Kitchen!

I cannot specifically say why I enjoy avocados so much, but I crave them all of the time. On a tostada, warm tortilla, toasted bolillo, in soup, on a chip or on a spoon! With a little sprinkle of salt, of course. They also make the creamiest salsa for taquitos and homemade chips. Addicting! Several years back I tried my first breaded and fried avocado wedges. Oh, man! The problem with preparing guacamole is that I want to eat it all. Just one more chip. After 10 more chips, I have to force myself to stop!

guacamole in molcajete with totopos in the back

Of Course It’s Easier To Chop All The Ingredients!

Yes, it is easier to just chop all of the ingredients instead of using a molcajete. Most days that is what I will do, but the flavors are just more pronounced when you grind garlic, chiles and cilantro and all those wonderful oils and juices come out and get mixed with the avocados. I will confess that I did not grow up with garlic in guacamole, but I enjoy it.

https://animoto.com/play/WSDZ1hyDiFpsZcIGQhXL3Q

Keep It Fresh And Simple!

A few weeks back someone on social media was trying to convince me to add cumin to my fresh pico de gallo and guacamole. I am not saying it would be horrible. But since I grew up with just the fresh ingredients and a touch of lime, the thought of strong cumin in there didn’t sound good to me. Believe me, I get enough feedback when it comes to adding cumin to certain dishes. Mom used it sparingly, but it was always there in the cupboard. Now, if I am preparing a sauce, then that’s a different story all together.

fresh ingredients for guacamole

Fiesta Friday’s For One Whole Year!

A couple of years back, I found myself cooking a Friday Mexican lunch at the local kitchen store. Now when I think back on it, I don’t know how I managed to do it. The kitchen was so small and it would get so hot! I would go in on Thursdays and begin the prep. First job was to fry all of those tortillas for chips. A lot of them! The nachos, taco salad and queso blanco dip were popular and in high demand. I know a thing or two about frying chips after that, lol!!

How Do I Pick Good Avocados?

There is nothing worse than slicing that perfect looking avocado open only to see that it’s al bruised inside. Worse thing is that it probably wasn’t cheap either. The last few years, I have have had really good luck with the mini haas avocados that come in a netted bag. As soon as they feel slightly soft, I refrigerate them. So far, every one I have sliced has been good! They last a long time in the refrigerator too. I don’t have as good luck with the larger haas avocados. I preserve my cut avocado by placing it in a plastic storage bag with a cut onion. It’s still going to darken slightly, but not as bad as with no onion.

In My Experience, The People Who State That They Hate Guacamole Is Because…

When I was teaching cooking classes years ago, many of the students would shy away from eating the guacamole. When I would convince them to try the fresh prepared guacamole and totopos, you could see a slow, but big smile begin to appear on their faces. The thing was that their only experience with eating was from the local Mexican restaurants. Unfortunately, the area was small town upstate and the Mexican restaurants often served food service or previously frozen guacamole. Not good, compared to freshly prepared.

guacamole in molcajete

Guacamole & Totopos!

A classic and fresh Mexican appetizer! Guacamole and fried corn tortilla chips, totopos! The perfect pair!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Salsa, Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
Dry out tortillas: 10 hours hours
Total Time: 11 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 Servings

Equipment

  • medium heavy pot for frying
  • Baking sheet
  • paper towels
  • Molcajete

Ingredients

Totopos

  • 25 standard size corn tortillas
  • 2 1/2 cups canola oil
  • Sea salt

Guacamole

  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1-2 small cloves of garlic
  • 1-2 serrano peppers, stems removed roughly chop peppers
  • Handful of washed cilantro roughly chopped
  • 2 large ripe Avocados
  • 2 Roma Tomato finely diced
  • 1/2 c Onion finely diced
  • Juice of 1/2 a Lime

Instructions

Totopos

  • The night before, after slicing the tortillas into wedges let them sit out overnight at room temperature. This will dry them out and help them fry quicker.
  • Preheat the oil in a large, heavy pot for 15 to 18 minutes. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
  • Fry the tortillas in batches for a few minutes, turning as needed. Once chips are crispy, drain onto lined baking sheet and season lightly with salt while they are still warm. Yields about 1 pound of chips. Cool completely and store in plastic storage bags for up to 10 days.

Guacamole

  • Combine the salt and garlic cloves in the molcajete. Smash and grind until you have a fine paste. Repeat with serrano peppers and cilantro.
  • Spoon in the ripe avocados, discard pits and peels. Gently mash while combining all of the ingredients. Use a small wooden spoon to combine once avocado is creamy.
  • Mix in the tomato and onion. Squeeze in the lime juice. Stir well to combine. Taste for salt. Serve with fresh made totopos!

Notes

Get creative with your guacamole and serve these extra’s on the side! Toasted pepitas, minced radishes, pomegranite seeds, crumbled bacon, crumbled cotija cheese, grilled shrimp or lobster or grilled corn! So many possibilities!
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

Like this:

Like Loading...

Filed Under: Appetizers~Botanas, Guacamole Tagged With: Traditional Mexican Recipes

Previous Post: « Mexican Chicken Soup- Caldo de Pollo
Next Post: Chile Verde With Potatoes! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jolyn stoffel

    May 4, 2025 at 5:26 pm

    Can you make the guacamole the night before

    Reply
    • Sonia

      May 4, 2025 at 8:50 pm

      I would not suggest preparing it the night before honestly. It can turn brown in some spots, become watery and the onion flavor will be stronger. You can prepare it a few hours ahead and cover it directly with plastic wrap to keep all the air out. Keep it chilled until you are ready to serve it.

      Reply

Would Love to Hear From YouCancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

Never Miss a Recipe

Get all the latest directly to your inbox

View Privacy Policy Before Subscribing

View our privacy policy

Mariscos-Seafood

Blackened Fish with Mango Salsa

Chilean Sea Bass in Adobo

chilean sea bass plated

Crispy Masa Crusted Shrimp and Poppers

popper with cheese and bacon filling

More Ceviche & Aguachile!

aguachile verde in a heart shaped cazuela

You might also like…

Steak Picado! One Skillet Beef Tacos!

Chile Verde Beef Picadillo~Enchiladas!

nopalitos taco

Nopalitos con Chorizo en Salsa de Chipotle (Cactus and Mexican Chorizo)

Copyright © 2025 LA PIÑA EN LA COCINA

MENU & SEARCH
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Mexican at Heart
    • Media
  • Contact
  • Disclosure/Privacy Policy
67 shares
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie Settings Accept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Save & Accept
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d

      Rate This Recipe

      Your vote:




      A rating is required
      A name is required
      An email is required