The topopo salad is Tucson’s most iconic regional salad. It’s virtually unknown anywhere else in the country. Monica Flinn invented the topopo in the 1920s at El Charro Café, the oldest continuously operating Mexican restaurant in the United States. She modeled it after the majestic Popocatépetl volcano in Mexico, naming it using the ancient indigenous word for volcano. This topopo salad recipe comes from my Taste of Tucson Cookbook.
What Makes the Topopo Salad Special?
The topopo salad is a towering pyramid of finely chopped lettuce and mixed vegetables molded on a crispy bean tostada. Tajín-dusted jicama and carrot sticks surround the base. Shredded cheddar cheese cascades down the sides like lava. A tomato slice and a green olive crown the top. The funnel-molding technique creates the signature steep volcanic cone that makes this salad instantly recognizable. Tajín-seasoned fresh vegetables arranged around the perimeter complete the presentation.
The topopo salad is an edible monument to Tucson’s rich Sonoran culinary heritage and a cornerstone of Arizona-Mexican border cuisine.
Equipment
- 1 funnel A 4-inch-diameter funnel with at least a 2-cup capacity
- 1 large serving plate At least 8 inches in diameter.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Iceberg and/or romaine lettuce finely chopped
- ½ cup frozen mixed vegetables corn, carrots, green beans, peas, thawed in a colander under warm running water
- 1- 2 tablespoons prepared vinaigrette salad dressing
- 1 corn tostada shell
- ¼ cup refried beans warmed
- 4 jicama strips thin, cut into 2- to 3-inch-long strips
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon pico de gallo or other chile-citrus seasoning
- 4 small carrots or carrot sticks
- 6 large cooked shrimp
- ¼ cup yellow cheddar cheese finely shredded
- 1 tomato slice
- 1 pimiento-stuffed green olive halved horizontally
- Red or green salsa for serving
Instructions
- Combine lettuce, mixed vegetables and salad dressing in a large mixing bowl. The lettuce should be well-coated but not dripping.
- Spread the inside of the tostada shell with the warm beans. Set aside, within reach.
- Holding the funnel in your nondominant hand so that the wide end is facing up, fill the funnel with the lettuce mixture and press it down firmly with a spatula. Cover the hole end of the funnel while filling, then take your finger off the hole and let any extra dressing drain out into the sink.
- Flip the tostada shell over onto the funnel so that the refried beans are touching the lettuce. Flip the serving plate over and place it centered on top of the tostada in the funnel. Then, flip the whole thing over and gently place it on the countertop. Carefully remove the funnel to reveal the volcano-shaped molded salad.
- Dip one end of the jicama sticks in lemon or lime juice and then dip them into the pico de gallo seasoning. Lean the jicama sticks, vertically at even intervals, around the
- perimeter of the salad (chile side up), followed by the carrots and shrimp. Sprinkle the top of the salad with cheddar cheese to resemble lava. Crown your topopo with a slice of tomato and half of the pimiento-stuffed olive. While eating, once you topple your topopo, mix in some salsa for an extra kick.
- Serves 1 as a meal or can be split for 2 as a side dish.
