From above, two golden tostadas sit on a matte plate, layered with vivid green basil-pepita sauce, charred yellow corn, glossy blistered snap peas, thin pink radish slices, snowy crumbled cheese, and tiny basil leaves, with lime wedges tucked to the side.

Basil Pepita Salsa Verde Tostadas with Blistered Corn & Snap Peas

Name: Basil Pepita Salsa Verde Tostadas with Blistered Corn & Snap Peas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves washed and dried; 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 2 tbsp pepitas lightly toasted; 1 medium ear corn kernels cut off; 1 cup sugar snap peas strings removed and halved lengthwise; 2 small corn tostadas; 1 small avocado sliced; 2 radishes very thinly sliced; 1 small jalapeño seeded and roughly chopped; 1 small garlic clove roughly chopped; 2 tbsp cotija cheese crumbled; 1 lime 1/2 juiced and 1/2 cut into wedges; 1 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or Mexican crema; 1/4 tsp ground cumin; 2 tbsp, plus more for brushing olive oil; 1/4 tsp, plus more to taste flaky salt; 1/8 tsp black pepper

Crisp tostadas topped with vibrant summer vegetables and basil salsa.

Category Quick and Easy

Prep 15 minutes

Cook 8 minutes

Style Mexican

Technique Blending

Diet Friendly Vegetarian

Daily recipe · June 15, 2026

A little about this dish

This snack leans into early-summer produce with a fresh Mexican-inspired twist: blistered snap peas and sweet corn piled over crisp tostadas, finished with a punchy basil-pumpkin seed salsa verde. Basil isn’t traditional here, but it plays beautifully with cilantro, lime, jalapeño, and pepitas, making the whole dish taste bright, herbaceous, and a little unexpected.

Ingredients (for 2)

Fresh basil leaves — 1 packed cup — washed and dried
Fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems — 1/4 cup
Pepitas — 2 tbsp — lightly toasted
Medium ear corn — 1 — kernels cut off
Sugar snap peas — 1 cup — strings removed and halved lengthwise
Small corn tostadas — 2
Small avocado — 1 — sliced
Radishes — 2 — very thinly sliced
Small jalapeño — 1 — seeded and roughly chopped
Small garlic clove — 1 — roughly chopped
Cotija cheese — 2 tbsp — crumbled
Lime — 1 — 1/2 juiced and 1/2 cut into wedges
Plain greek yogurt or mexican crema — 1 tbsp
Ground cumin — 1/4 tsp
Olive oil — 2 tbsp, plus more for brushing
Flaky salt — 1/4 tsp, plus more to taste
Black pepper — 1/8 tsp

Preparation

Step 1 — 🌿🌶️🥄

In a small food processor, blend the fresh basil leaves, cilantro, toasted pepitas, jalapeño, garlic, juice from 1/2 lime, Greek yogurt or Mexican crema, ground cumin, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp flaky salt, and black pepper until mostly smooth but still a little textured. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if needed.
Step 2 — 🌽🫛🔥

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with a light drizzle of olive oil. Add the corn kernels and sugar snap peas, then cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the corn is lightly charred and the snap peas are bright green and blistered in spots. Season with a small pinch of salt.
Step 3 — 🫓🖌️✨

For extra-crisp tostadas, lightly brush the corn tostadas with a little olive oil and warm them in the skillet or in a 375°F oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4 — 🥣🔪🫓

Spread a generous layer of the basil pepita salsa verde over each tostada.
Step 5 — 🥑🌽🌸

Top each tostada with the blistered corn and snap peas, then arrange the sliced avocado and very thinly sliced radishes on top.
Step 6 — 🧀🌿🍋

Sprinkle with crumbled cotija cheese, add a few extra small basil leaves if you have them, and squeeze over the remaining lime. Serve with the lime wedges.
Step 7 — 🍽️⏰😋

Serve right away while the tostadas are still crisp and the vegetables are warm.

A final fox tip

For a vegan version, skip the cotija and use a vegan yogurt in the salsa. If you want more protein, add a swipe of refried black beans under the salsa. This is also a great recipe for kids to help assemble—the colorful topping layout makes it especially fun and photo-ready.