How to Make Authentic Mexican Tacos — and Why the ‘Aztec Taco’ Is a Myth
Description
Street-style carne asada tacos: lime-marinated flank steak seared hard, sliced thin against the grain, and piled onto warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Two tacos per person, taqueria-plain on purpose.
Ingredients
For the carne asada
For assembling
For serving (optional, not in the nutrition card)
Instructions
Marinate the steak
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Mix and marinate
Stir together the lime juice (30 ml), minced garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Rub it over the flank steak and let it sit 30 minutes at room temperature — and no more than 2 hours in the fridge, or the lime's acid starts turning the surface mealy.
Sear and slice
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Sear the steak hard
Heat 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of oil in a heavy skillet (frying pan) or grill pan over high heat until it shimmers. Pat the steak lightly, lay it in, and sear 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium — an instant-read thermometer reads 57 to 60°C (135 to 140°F). Flank is best under medium; well-done turns it to leather.
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Rest, then slice against the grain
Rest the steak 5 minutes on a board. Find the direction of the muscle fibers and slice thinly ACROSS them, then cut the slices into bite-size pieces. Against-the-grain slicing is what makes flank tender.
Warm and build
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Warm the tortillas
Heat the corn tortillas one by one in a dry skillet over medium-high, about 30 seconds per side, until pliable with a few toasted spots. Stack them in a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft.
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Build them taqueria-style
Pile the steak onto the warm tortillas, top with chopped onion and cilantro, and finish with a squeeze of lime at the table. That's the whole taco — salsa optional, everything else negotiable.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
Serving Size 1 of 4 servings
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 363kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 16g21%
- Saturated Fat 5g25%
- Cholesterol 85mg29%
- Sodium 549mg24%
- Potassium 596mg13%
- Total Carbohydrate 26g10%
- Dietary Fiber 4.0g15%
- Sugars 1.5g
- Protein 30g60%
- Vitamin A 23 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C 4.6 mg
- Calcium 94 mg
- Iron 3.2 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
- Marinade clock: 30 minutes does the flavor work; past 2 hours the lime acid starts "cooking" the surface and the sear suffers. Set a timer.
- Against the grain, always: flank's long fibers are chewy cut lengthwise and tender cut across. Find the lines, slice perpendicular, thin.
- Corn, not flour, for this style: street tacos ride on corn tortillas — nixtamalized corn also brings real calcium and fiber. Flour tortillas are Tex-Mex territory, delicious and different.
- The double-tortilla trick: taquerias often use two thin tortillas per taco — insurance against tearing. If yours are sturdy, one is plenty (the card counts two per person's pair of tacos).
- Toppings, the honest version: onion, cilantro, lime, salsa. Cheese, lettuce, and sour cream are the Tex-Mex dialect — enjoy them knowingly, and count them separately.
- Leftovers: store meat, tortillas, and toppings separately up to 3 days; reheat the steak in a hot pan for 1 minute so it doesn't stew. Built tacos don't keep.
- Nutrition method: the card is computed per serving (2 tacos) from USDA FoodData Central records for each listed ingredient (flank steak 169433, corn tortillas 175036, and the rest); lime wedges and salsa served at the table are not counted.
