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    Home / Recipes / Course / Appetizer

    20 Sep 10, 2013 Appetizer  |   Jump to Recipe

    Bacon Tostilocos

    Bacon Tostilocos

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Oh man do I have a fun recipe for you today!  Tostilocos, a Mexican street food specialty, are typically made by cutting open a bag of flavored corn chips and piling on toppings such as pickled pig skin, tamarind candies, Japanese peanuts, jicama, cucumber, lime juice, chamoy and hot sauce.  I first had Tostilocos last year at our San Diego LGBT Pride festival.  Jorge and I had been walking around all day, and I was getting huuuungry.  We stopped to sit for a moment in the shade, when Jorge hopped up and said, “I’ll be right back.”  Several minutes later, he returned with a bag of Tostilocos.  After just one bite my taste buds were all like, “Whaaaaaaat???”  Such a crazy combination of flavors that just completely work well together.  Sweet.  Salt.  Sour.  Crunch.  I’ll have to say the one element I’m still not completely sold on is the pickled pig skin.  It’s like savory gummy worms.  But wet and slippery.  Not my fav.  So when I was coming up with a homemade version of Tostilocos, I decided to substituted thin strips of smoky bacon for the pickled pig skin.  I also included some quick pickled cucumber and red onion to add another note of sweet, sour and salt.  You can easily make these pickles at home in just one hour (mainly inactive wait time).  Jorge and I will still get Tostilocos each year at the festival, but now I can easily satisfy cravings in between with my bacon version!

    If you don’t live in San Diego (or any other City bordering Mexico), some of these ingredients may look very foreign to you.  Try to find a Mexican market in town.  They should have everything you need.  Or you can easily purchase these items online.  I purchased everything at Pancho Villa’s Farmer’s Market here in SD.  Continue reading for the recipe.


    Bacon Tostilocos

    Bacon Tostilocos

    by Brandon Matzek
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings 1 serving

    Ingredients
      

    For the quick pickles:

    • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
    • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 3/4 teaspoon sugar
    • Half of 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
    • Half of 1 cucumber, peeled and cut into half moons

    For the Tostilocos:

    • 1 small bag (3.7 oz) salsa verde flavored chips
    • 1 heaping tablespoon tamarind candies, plus more to taste
    • 1 heaping tablespoon Japanese peanuts, plus more to taste
    • 3 slices of bacon (cooked through but still pliable), thinly sliced
    • Quarter of 1 small jicama, peeled and sliced into thin sticks

    Lime wedges, for serving

      Chamoy, for serving

        Hot sauce, for serving (like Tapatio)

          Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

            Instructions
             

            • To make the quick pickles, add lime juice, oregano, salt, and sugar to a small bowl, whisking to combine. Add sliced onion and cucumber, tossing in the pickling liquid. Let sit for 1 – 3 hours at room temperature, tossing every 20 minutes for the first hour. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
            • Arrange a layer of chips on a large plate. Scatter some of the pickled onion and cucumber, candies, peanuts, bacon and jicama over top. Add another layer of chips and toppings. Dress the entire plate with freshly squeezed lime juice, chamoy and hot sauce to taste. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro.
            • To enjoy these Tostilocos on the go, open the bag of chips by slitting through one of the long sides. Add toppings and flavorings directly to the bag. Be sure to bring some extra napkins!
            Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!

            Related recipes and articles:

            Chamoy

            Cueritos (pickled pig skin)

            Citrus Pickled Onions

            Tamarind Trail Mix

            Japanese Peanuts

            20
            Brandon and Federico
            Brandon

            I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!

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            Categories: Appetizer Tags: bacon, cilantro, cucumber, jicama, kosher salt, lime, oregano, red onion, sugar

            Reader Interactions

            Comments

            1. Karen @ HonestlyYUM says

              September 10, 2013 at 11:16 am

              Omg! These look so goooood…

              Reply
              • Brandon Matzek says

                September 24, 2013 at 9:03 am

                Thanks Karen!!

                Reply
            2. Sommer @ ASpicyPerspective says

              September 13, 2013 at 4:51 pm

              Great recipe! Love the pickled cucumbers and onions, and of course, the bacon!! 🙂

              Reply
              • Brandon Matzek says

                September 24, 2013 at 9:02 am

                Thanks Sommer 🙂

                Reply
            3. J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats says

              September 16, 2013 at 1:04 pm

              Omg i’ve seen those being sold and never really understood what they were but it sounds amazing. Although subbing bacon for the pickled pig skin is probably a great call.

              Reply
              • Brandon Matzek says

                September 24, 2013 at 9:02 am

                You should definitely try them the next time you see them! It’s an interesting experience!

                Reply
            4. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

              September 24, 2013 at 8:45 am

              Love pickled cucs and onion. This looks so delish, Brandon 🙂

              ps: i don’t know why your blog feed didn’t appear on my reader. I had to refresh it a couple of times. it’s fine now, but i’ve missed a few of your recipes. just thought to inform you!

              Reply
              • Brandon Matzek says

                September 24, 2013 at 9:01 am

                Thanks Kiran!! Hmmmm, not sure whats going on with the feed. What reader do you use? And thanks for the heads up!

                Reply
                • Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

                  September 24, 2013 at 9:23 am

                  feedly. i re-subsribed again and it’s OK for now. Fingers crossed 😀

                  Reply
            5. Stephanie Jones says

              October 5, 2013 at 12:42 pm

              I’ve never heard of tostilocos. Reminds me of crazy cracked out nachos… Your description for pickled pig skin is spot on! You had me rolling! I think bacon will be a perfect substitution. I’m excited to try the tamarind candies. Looks like another winner Brandon!

              Reply

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            Brandon and Federico

            I'm Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Read More…


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