Mexican Street Tacos - Ethnic Foods R Us

Mexican Street Tacos, the real thing, is not something you can just buy anywhere. No. Authentic Mexican Street Tacos have a distinctive flavor and texture that is rarely duplicated outside of the Mexican borders. You buy them from street vendors down in the village’s central zocalo.

But if you follow this recipe, using these exact ingredients, and preparing them precisely this way … you will indeed be treated the the real deal … authentic Mexican Street Tacos.

Mexican Street Tacos Recipe-

Ingredients:

meat (About 2-3 lbs.) Beef Skirt Steak is best, sliced very thin
dried epazote leaves, ground fine
1 large white onion, diced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
fresh lime juice
fresh orange juice
ground cumin seed
4 large cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
black Pepper, to taste
yellow corn tortillas
fire roasted red salsa, for serving

For the Marinade-

The marinade is the key, and what will give your tacos the authentic ‘street’ flavor.

Mix and blend together in a bowl-

3-4 cups of orange juice (Enough to fully cover the meat in a sealable freezer bag)
2 tbsp. of lime juice
1 tbsp. of ground cumin seed
1 tbsp. of minced fresh garlic
1 tbsp. dried epazote leaves, ground fine
1 tbsp. of finely chopped cilantro
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Put marinade in a large freezer bag, along with the meat and get enough air out of the bag so the meat is completely covered in marinade. Seal the bag tightly. The citric acid breaks down the meat and tenderizes it, so the longer the better, minimum 6 hours, even better for two whole days.
Every so often, flip the bag over, to ensure the meat is equally saturated and marinated over time.

Topping-

White onion, diced small
lots of fresh cilantro, rough chopped

Cooking the Meat-

This has to be done on the grille. Sear the meat on both sides and turn over regularly. Skirt steak should be sliced pretty thin, so it doesn’t take long to cook. Usually, you’ll want to cook till about medium done.
Re-heat the chopped meat, until nicely warmed, not too hot. You can do this back on the grill in a metal container, or stove-top in a pan, or in a microwave.

Tortillas-

Yellow corn tortillas (In my opinion) are the best for tacos. Tear off two paper towels and fold. Wet them until just moistened through, and wring them to eliminate excess water—you don’t want them dripping wet.
Wrap 4 tortillas up in the paper towels and heat in the microwave on high setting for one minute. Or you can also just warm them up briefly on the grille.
If you are making more than 4 tacos, re-moisten the paper towels between reloading.
Your tortillas should come out flexible and moist. All you do now, is load them with the meat, add some topping, and if you want it spicier hot, add some chopped fresh jalapeno peppers or hot salsa, and BINGO! – serve them up with some fire roasted red salsa on the side, and …

Enjoy some authentic Mexican Street Tacos!