Tostilocos are Tostitos With Attitude

Tostilocos are Tostito chips made loco, or crazy, that can be enjoyed whenever the craving strikes. In my hometown of San Diego, which borders Tijuana, they are typically found in fruterias or sold by street merchants, and in Tijuana, there are entire shops dedicated to the munchy. 

Credited for this invention is Tijuanense, Javier Rodríguez, who is said to have whipped up this popular snack on a whim in the late 90s with the ingredients he had on hand.

What Is in Tostilocos?

Typically this snack is eaten right out of the bag, cut vertically and held horizontally, and stuffed to the gills with cucumber, jicama, Japanese peanuts, tamarind candy, and cueritos (pickled pork skin); splashed with lime juice and Clamato; and drizzled with chamoy and hot sauce. 

The crisp jicama and cucumber offer a fresh contrast to the Tostitos doused in lime, hot sauce, and sweet and sour chamoy; they also add a crunchy textural contrast to the chewy Pulparindo (a candy made with tamarind pulp) and pickled cueritos. The Mexican Japanese peanuts—made with soy sauce and MSG—infuse the snack with bursts of umami and crunch.  

Many regional tostilocos variations exist, with places like Ensenada adding clams and Sinaloa adding cabbage. Some variations even toss in mango.

Mangonada

Making Meatless Tostilocos

In this recipe we make these tostilocos meatless, veganizing the cueritos with coconut meat, and substituting V8 for the Clamato that is typically found in Baja-style tostilocos. Look for packaged coconut meat in the freezer section of your supermarket.

If you can’t access coconut meat, do not fear. Hearts of palm will do the trick! And if Tostitos are not at your local grocery, or you’d like to make this fully vegan (some Tostitos flavors contain milk ingredients), you can substitute other chips. Feel free to use sweet-spicy chili Doritos for dorilocos, Takis for takilocos, or Sabritones for sabrilocos––you get the gist. Prepare and serve them directly in their bag, or enjoy them in a bowl and snack away!

Tips for Making Tostilocos

• Use any corn chip—If you can’t find Tostitos near you, try to find a Mexican grocery store and use whatever corn-based chip is calling to you, or just use tortilla chips!
• Eat them right away—For maximum enjoyment, tostilocos should be made immediately before eating. If allowed to sit for any length of time, they become soggy.
• Leave out the coconut cueritos—If you’d prefer not to make the coconut cueritos, you can omit them. The tostilocos will still have plenty of flavor.