The best tacos in the world are the simplest: two small corn tortillas, well-seasoned meat, onion, cilantro, lime. No shredded lettuce mountain, no hard shells. Street tacos are about doing a few things properly, which conveniently makes them one of the easiest great dinners you can cook.
The marinade (serves 4)
For 600 g of chicken thighs or skirt steak, whisk together: 3 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, smoked paprika and dried oregano, half a teaspoon of chili powder and a good pinch of salt. Marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the fridge. The citrus plus smoke combination is what makes it taste like the taqueria.
Cook it hot and rest it
Get a cast-iron pan or grill properly hot. Cook the meat in a single layer without crowding: chicken thighs about 5 minutes a side, skirt steak 3 to 4 minutes a side for medium-rare. You want charred edges. Rest for five minutes, then chop small, street tacos use chopped meat, not slices, so every bite fits the tortilla.
Treat the tortillas like they matter
Corn tortillas, always, and warmed properly: thirty seconds a side in a dry hot pan, or directly over a gas flame until lightly blistered. Stack them in a clean tea towel to stay soft. The street move is doubling them, two tortillas per taco, which keeps juicy fillings from breaking through.
A five-minute salsa verde-style sauce
Blend a handful of cilantro, 1 jalapeno (seeded for mild), 1 garlic clove, the juice of a lime, 3 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Loose, green and bright, it lifts everything it touches. A creamy shortcut: blend the same with 3 tablespoons of mayo or crema.
Assemble like a taqueria
- Double tortilla, warm.
- A modest spoonful of chopped meat. Restraint is authentic.
- Finely diced white onion and rough-chopped cilantro.
- Salsa, then a squeeze of lime at the table. Optional: sliced radish and a grilled spring onion on the side.
Serve everything family-style with plenty of lime wedges and cold drinks. Charred corn, black beans or a simple avocado salad rounds it out if you need sides, but honestly, three tacos each and nobody asks for more.
Save this for your next taco night, and find more easy dinner recipes on Plumeo. Daily food inspiration at @Plumeoblog.