Freshly fried corn tortillas are in a category of food I call “Why don’t I make these more often?” Because that’s what I say every time I make them.
Recently I’ve layered them under some beans and eggs for brunch, melted cheese on them in the oven and doused with salsa, made leftover veggie tostadas with kimchi, and crumbled them on top of a chopped salad and into chicken soup just before serving. Not to mention the ones I’ve just eaten hot out of the oil with a little bit of salt.
They couldn’t be easier to make either, and if you use a small soup pot there’s not the mess you would think with frying. Heat ¼ inch of vegetable oil until hot but not smoking, you can test to see if the oil is ready by dropping in a small pinch of a tortilla. It should sizzle immediately; you can always adjust the heat down if it’s too hot once you start.
As they only take a minute or so per side to get golden brown and crispy, it really doesn’t take long to fry up quite a few … even one at a time. I use tongs and set them to drain on a used paper bag and salt immediately.
Once you taste them, you’ll know why I always have a pack or two of tortillas in the freezer.