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Tacos de requesón

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Requesón con epazote, Tacos de requesón guisado

Tacos de requesón are tacos filled with requesón, the soft, crumbly whey cheese of Mexican markets, usually seasoned with epazote, onion and green chile. Inexpensive and quick to prepare, requesón is a familiar vegetarian filling for tacos, quesadillas, gorditas and tlacoyos in central Mexico.

Contents
  1. Requesón
  2. Seasoning
  3. In tacos
  4. Buying and storing
  5. Recipe
  6. Reviews
  7. See also
  8. References

Requesón

The Larousse encyclopedic dictionary of Mexican gastronomy defines requesón as the curd recovered from the whey left over after cheesemaking. It is cheap and in demand, is sold at cheese counters in popular markets and must be eaten fresh because it spoils quickly. México Desconocido describes it similarly as a dough-like mass obtained from milk whey once the cheese has been made. Larousse says it is eaten in almost every part of Mexico and handled like fresh cheese: it fills gorditas, quesadillas, tlacoyos and empanadas, goes into sweets, cakes, breads and cookies, and is also eaten with honey or jam. In Guanajuato a traditional sweet called requesón batido is made by beating requesón with sugar syrup and honey.

Seasoning

The savory preparation most associated with requesón pairs it with epazote. México Desconocido's recipe for requesón al epazote combines about a kilogram of requesón with finely chopped onion, half a cup of chopped epazote and one or two seeded jalapeños, seasoned only with salt and served with tostadas or totopos. The same mixture, spooned into warm corn tortillas, is a simple taco; many cooks warm it briefly in a pan with a little oil, which softens the onion and chile and loosens the curd.

In tacos

Because requesón is mild and crumbly, it is used both as a filling in its own right and as a garnish. Uno TV's description of the Tlaxcala-style taco placero lists requesón among its components, together with cheese, barbacoa, pipicha, cilantro, chiles, chicharrón and acociles, showing its place in the market-taco tradition of the central highlands. As a soft taco or quesadilla filling it is usually paired with a sharp green salsa, which balances its milky flavor.

Buying and storing

Larousse stresses that requesón must be eaten fresh because it spoils quickly, so it is generally bought in small quantities from the cheese counters of neighborhood markets and used within a day or two. It should smell clean and milky. Where Mexican requesón is unavailable, drained whole-milk ricotta is the closest substitute in texture, though slightly sweeter.

Recipe

Makes 10 tacos · Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400 g requesón (or well-drained ricotta)
  • 1/4 white onion, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons chopped epazote (or cilantro)
  • 1 jalapeño or 2 serranos, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Salt
  • 10 corn tortillas
  • Salsa verde

Steps

  1. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion and chile for 2 minutes until softened.
  2. Add the requesón and epazote and stir over low heat just until warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt.
  3. Warm the tortillas on a comal.
  4. Fill each tortilla with the requesón mixture, fold and serve with salsa verde.

For a no-cook version, simply mix all the filling ingredients raw, as in requesón al epazote.

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Requesón". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Requesón al epazote". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  3. "Taco placero: cómo y cuándo surgió en México". Uno TV. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Central Mexican cuisine Cheese dishes Taco types Vegetarian tacos