Tacos
Authentic-ish street tacos: small corn tortillas filled with seasoned meat, white onion, cilantro, and lime. The hallmark of a good taco is restraint — no shredded cheese pile, no lettuce mountain. Just a few quality elements done right.
Prep Time
11 min
Cook Time
12 min
Servings
6
Calories
175 cal
🛠 Interactive Recipe Tools — Use them right here on this page
Smart Servings Scaler
- Tortilla3
- Chicken750 g
- Carrot1 ½ medium
- Bell Pepper1 ½
- Onion1 ½ medium
- Lettuce3 cups
- Tomato3 medium
- Mayonnaise4 ½ tbsp
- Salt1 ½ tsp
All quantities scaled automatically from 6 servings.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings · Use the Servings Scaler above to adjust
- Tortilla3
- Chicken750 g
- Carrot1.5 medium
- Bell Pepper1.5
- Onion1.5 medium
- Lettuce3 cups
- Tomato3 medium
- Mayonnaise4.5 tbsp
- Salt1.5 tsp
Instructions
- 1
Choose your meat: 1 lb of carne asada (skirt or flank steak), pollo (chicken thighs), or al pastor (pork). Marinate at least 2 hours: 3 tablespoons orange juice, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1.5 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- 2
Heat a cast iron skillet over the highest heat until smoking. Cook the meat in batches (don't crowd) — about 3 minutes per side for steak, 5 minutes per side for chicken. Let it rest 5 minutes on a board.
- 3
Slice the meat thinly against the grain. Steaks especially need this — slicing with the grain gives you chewy meat regardless of how well you cooked it.
- 4
Warm 12 small corn tortillas: char them directly over a gas flame for 10 seconds per side, or warm in a dry skillet, or wrap in foil and heat in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.
- 5
Build each taco simply: 2 corn tortillas stacked (the second is a backup for spills), 2-3 tablespoons of meat, 1 tablespoon of finely diced white onion, a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime.
- 6
Optional additions: a salsa of your choice (verde, roja, or pico de gallo), thin radish slices, sliced avocado, hot sauce. But the classic — meat, onion, cilantro, lime — is hard to beat. Eat immediately.
Watch how to make Tacos
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💡 Expert Tips
- 1.Small corn tortillas, not large flour. Authentic street tacos are on 4-inch corn tortillas. Larger flour tortillas are American-style and a different dish entirely.
- 2.Stack two tortillas. This is what taquerias do — the second tortilla catches drips and gives you a backup if the first tears. Costs nothing, looks authentic.
- 3.Slice against the grain. Look at the meat surface for the muscle fibers. Cut perpendicular. Get this wrong and even tender meat will be chewy.
- 4.White onion, not red. Red onion is for grilled fish and garnishes. White onion is the authentic taco aromatic — sharper and more bright.
🔬 Why It Works
Mexican street tacos demonstrate the principle of 'do less, better.' The flavors aren't masked by cheese, lettuce, or sour cream — instead, well-seasoned meat is allowed to be the star, balanced by sharp raw onion, fresh cilantro, and brightening lime. The double tortilla is a small detail that makes the eating experience meaningfully better. The lack of clutter is what distinguishes a taco from a 'taco bowl' or a 'taco salad' — those have their place, but they're not really tacos.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
* Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are estimates.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
* Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are estimates.
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