Shopping List for a Mexican-American Dinner at Home
What to buy for one dinner, grouped by the stage you reach it at, with a line on why each item is there.
A Mexican-American dinner at home is built from the same few parts whatever the dish: a tortilla or a base, a filling, a sauce, a cheese and some heat. This list covers one dinner. It is grouped by the stage at which each item is used, so the shopping follows the cooking instead of sending you back and forth across the store. If the dish is not chosen yet, the dish helper on What We Cook names one and a runner-up, and this list fits either.
On the shelf already
- Dried ancho or guajillo chiles: the base of many red sauces, toasted and soaked before use.
- Ground cumin: a warm note in taco meat, chili and bean fillings.
- Dried oregano: for the fillings of tacos, fajitas and enchiladas.
- Masa harina: the flour for corn tortillas at home. Check the label for masa from nixtamal or nixtamalized flour, because a Brigham Young University study puts approximately 60% of corn tortillas in Mexico in the nixtamal group.
- Canned evaporated and condensed milk: two of the three milks that soak a tres leches sponge.
- Sesame seeds, if a mole is planned: sesame is a major allergen, so read the label before you buy.
At the produce counter
- White onion: the raw topping for tacos and grilled meat.
- Limes: a squeeze finishes many of the dishes this site covers.
- Fresh cilantro: the herb most often used as a finish, bought in small bunches.
- Tomatoes or tomatillos: the base for a fresh salsa or a cooked green sauce.
- Fresh jalapeños or serranos: heat you can add by the slice, a little at a time.
In the dairy case
- Whole milk: the third milk for tres leches, the cake that is a sponge soaked in three milks.
- Crema or sour cream: a cool finish for enchiladas and tacos, kept at 40°F or below.
- Queso fresco: skip it if anyone at the table is pregnant, 65 or older, or has a weakened immune system. FDA advice on queso fresco-type cheeses
- Monterey Jack or cheddar: the melting cheese for a queso, and the reason recipes vary between them.
For the pan or the grill
- Ground beef: for tacos and burgers. The CDC gives 160°F inside for ground beef and pork.
- Chicken thighs: for fajitas. The CDC gives 165°F for poultry.
- Skirt steak: the traditional fajita cut. The CDC gives 145°F for whole cuts of beef, plus a 3-minute rest.
- Fish fillets: for fish tacos. The CDC gives 145°F for fish with fins, or until the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork.
To finish the plate
- Corn tortillas: warm them on a dry pan just before serving.
- Cooked white rice, if a side is planned: cool it from 135°F to 70°F within 2 hours, because Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking.
What the list adds up to
Where the stuck points come up in the shop
