The Mexican dish made from a fried or toasted tortilla and topped with taco-like ingredients is a tostada.
A tostada is usually a flat or bowl-shaped tortilla that has been fried or toasted until rigid and crunchy. Corn tortillas are the standard base, although wheat tortillas and other variations exist. The name comes from Spanish tostado, meaning “toasted,” and the dish is found throughout Mexico as well as in related regional cuisines.
Tostada toppings often resemble taco fillings: beans, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, onions, salsa, chicken, pork, or beef. Seafood versions are particularly common and may feature shrimp, tuna, crab, octopus, or ceviche. Because the base is crisp and cannot bend easily, a spread such as refried beans or cream helps hold the toppings in place.
The key distinction from a taco is the tortilla’s preparation and shape. A taco is normally folded around its filling, while a tostada is served open-faced on a crisp tortilla. Small pieces of tostada are also cut into triangles and used like tortilla chips.