Fried Hominy with Cilantro Pepita Pesto

This fried hominy recipe from Southern Living served with a bright cilantro pepita pesto sauce to drizzle over top of the crisp, fried hominy is perfect for entertaining.

Fried Hominy with Cilantro Pesto

Hominy is one of my favorite ingredients.  I remember growing up, my siblings and I always asked for extra hominy in our sopas and stews because we loved the crispness that it would add to any dish.

We would plunge the ladle into the menudo pot looking for extra bits of hominy to put in our bowls.  Mami knew how much we loved it and always made sure to buy extra hominy to put in the pot for us.  

Now I pass on my love of hominy to my own kids.  There’s just something about those plump, juicy kernels that takes me all the way back to my childhood.  As an adult, I still find myself digging to the bottom of the pot to scoop as many of these delicious golden nuggets into my bowl as I can.

Adding Hominy to Your Favorite Dishes

Hominy has a unique, crisp texture and refreshing flavor.  It’s a great ingredient to stretch a meal, but still feels light.  Hominy is delicious in soups and stews, because it takes on the rich, delicious flavors of the broth and seasonings.

Hominy is often seen as a staple ingredient during the Navideño season, and makes an appearance in two of the most iconic holiday dishes, pozole and menudo.  Both dishes are often served at Las Posadas and on New Year’s Day.

After the holidays, when the temperatures here in South Texas start creeping into the high 90s, serving a steaming hot stew, like pozole and menudo, isn’t ideal.  So when I still find myself craving menudo during the dead heat of summer, I come up with creative new ways reinvent hominy in my own recipes.  

I’ve often sauteed these tender kernels to use in a side dish, layered them between two flour tortillas to make quesadillas, or mixed them into a refreshing salsa or garnish.

Southern Living’s Fried Hominy Recipe with a Twist

Recently, I hosted a ladies’ night in with a few of my favorite ladies. The plan was to relax, unwind and enjoy a few light appetizers paired with some yummy cocktails.

I spotted this fried hominy recipe in their Holiday issue of Southern Living and immediately bookmarked it.  It was exactly the kind of recipe I would make and perfect for entertaining.

To add my own Tejana twist, I created a bright cilantro pepita pesto sauce to drizzle over top of the crisp, fried hominy.  Cilantro and lime pair perfectly with hominy and the pepitas add a rich, nutty flavor to the dish.  This light, refreshing sauce gets a kick of flavor from the lime juice and is the perfect accompaniment for the fried hominy.