Recipes / Snacks / Mexican Snacks Tortilla Chips with Salsa and Guacamole Corn tortillas baked rather than fried, plus a raw pico de gallo and a guacamole that is mashed, never blended.
Time 35 min
Serves 6
Difficulty Easy Ingredients Servings
− +
Quantities for 6 servings
12 corn tortillas 3 tbsp neutral oil 1 tsp fine sea salt For the salsa: 6 ripe tomatoes, finely diced 1/2 red onion, finely diced 1 jalapeño, deseeded and minced A large handful of coriander, chopped Juice of 1 lime For the guacamole: 3 ripe avocados 1/2 red onion, very finely diced 1 green chilli, minced Juice of 1–2 limes A handful of coriander, chopped Salt, to taste
Treat this list as a starting point rather than a shopping order. Swap what you haven't got, leave out what you dislike, add what you love — this is exactly the kind of dish that rewards poking around in the fridge.
Method 1 Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F. Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with oil, stack them, and cut the stack into 6 wedges. 2 Spread the wedges in a single layer across two trays — overlapping ones steam and stay leathery. Sprinkle with salt. 3 Bake for 12–16 minutes, turning once and swapping the trays halfway, until golden and firm. They crisp up further as they cool, so pull them while they still have the faintest give. 4 For the salsa, combine the tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, coriander and lime juice with a good pinch of salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then drain off the watery liquid that collects — otherwise it floods the bowl and slides off the chips. 5 For the guacamole, halve the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash with a fork, leaving it deliberately chunky. A blender turns it into a smooth paste with none of the texture that makes guacamole worth eating. 6 Fold in the red onion, chilli, coriander and the juice of 1 lime. Season with salt, then taste and add more lime until it tastes bright rather than flat — under-limed guacamole is the most common mistake. 7 Serve everything immediately. If the guacamole has to wait, press clingfilm directly onto its surface so no air touches it, and it will hold its colour for a couple of hours. Tap a step to cross it off. Your place is saved on this device.
Cook’s notes Stale, slightly dried-out tortillas actually crisp better than fresh ones.
The avocado stone does nothing to stop browning — it only protects the bit it covers. Contact with the surface is what matters, so use clingfilm.
For a smoky salsa, char the tomatoes and jalapeño under a hot grill before dicing.
How it should look Photos of the finished dish, so you know what you’re aiming for.
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