Tortas Ahogadas (or Drowned Sandwiches)

Torta Ahogada, or Drowned Sandwich, topped with pickled red onions and a cilantro leaf, surrounded by a spicy tomato sauce on a blue plate.

5 from 5 votes

Tortas Ahogadas (or Drowned Sandwiches)

Tortas Ahogadas (or Drowned Sandwiches) are messy, yummy, and TOTALLY AMAZING! Bread stuffed with pork then drenched in a spicy sauce. It's mouthwateringly delicious.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 402kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

4 Guajillo chiles stems, seeds, and veins removed
4 chile de árbol stems, seeds, and veins removed
¼ onion
3 garlic cloves
4 cups water
4 tomatoes (such as Roma)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups leftover pork chopped
4 birotes can substitute with bolillos or French bread

Instructions

In a stock pot, add guajillo chiles, chile de árbol, onion, garlic, and water.
Cover with a lid and bring to a boil.
Turn heat off and wait for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, roast your tomatoes over a griddle or place under the broiler for a few minutes.
Char the tomato skin on all sides.
Add the tomatoes, guajillo chiles, chile de árbol, onion, garlic, and cooking water to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Heat oil in a stock pot.
Place a strainer over the pot.
Carefully strain the liquid from the blender into the pot.
Using the back of your cooking spoon, push all the liquid through the strainer.
Cook sauce for 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
Warm up the leftover pork.
To assemble your sandwich, using a deep plate or bowl, cut the bread in half.
Add the pork to one half and top with the other half.
Ladle a spoonful of sauce over the sandwich.
Add more sauce around the sandwich.
Top with pickled red onions.
Enjoy.

Video

Notes

To make a spicier sauce, use one more chile de árbol.

If the sauce is too spicy, you can always bring down the heat by adding an extra tomato.

There’s no real way to store one of these sandwiches. Once you make it, you gotta eat it right away.

SUBSTITUTES:

Drowned Sandwiches (Tortas Ahogadas) are typically made with birotes. It’s a bread that’s bigger than a bolillo. If you can’t find it, use a regular bolillo.

Nutrition