I hear the question in your mind all the way from here (in Atlanta). "Aren't all tacos Mexican, so why call this recipe Mexican Steak Tacos, instead of just Steak Tacos?" Well, that's because we Americans have made tacos our own in a variety of over-stuffed ways. Traditional Mexican Steak Tacos are a typical street food offering and don't come with all the different garnishes that you get here.
The taco lets the carne asada take the spotlight, with some taqueria style red salsa and chopped cilantro. But honestly, if you marinate your steak just right, all you need is a crisp corn taco to call it a night.
Katherine and I have probably eaten more tacos than either of us care to admit. I think the last time, we went two full days eating nothing but. We'd pass by dozens of food stalls and carts with towering stacks of golden yellow tortillas waiting for their turn on a hot grill.
The tortilla is the quiet sibling to the loud and boisterous ingredients on the inside. Perfectly charred, not too delicate and robust enough to hold everything, even drops of ancho chili-infused steak drippings.
If you're feeling adventurous, try making fresh tortillas at home. It's an experience.
As for the steak, it holds the flavor, and by chopping it, you'll make a whole lot of people happy they can avoid "empty taco" syndrome. That's when you take a bite of a taco and instead of biting it apart, you pull everything out. Yeah, you know it's happened to you, too.
Flank is the most common cut used, but you could get away with a skirt steak, and even a flat iron will do.
How To Choose the Best Flank Steak for Mexican Steak Tacos
- If you have a local butcher, pay them a visit. Nothing beats in person expertise.
- Your flank steak should have a bright burgundy color and some fat marbleization.
- If you go the supermarket route, check the grain and make sure you don't have tough, fatty bits on the ends.
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You should be able to find corn tortillas and cilantro at your regular market. And the recipe for the taqueria salsa is as simple as tossing some ingredients in the blender. If you make extra, it'll hold for a few days, but no longer. ¡Buen provecho!
Falls in love with three squeezes of a lime
Stir memories of steamy sidewalks, yards away from the Sea of Cortez
In the spice chest, ancho chile, garlic, cumin, black pepper, Kosher salt
Suggestions and Alternatives
- The longer you allow your flank steak to marinate the more flavor you will get. I suggest overnight.
- Try to time your plating. This is a street taco, meant to be eaten as soon as it comes off the pan.
- If you like jalapenos, you can swap out the red salsa for this tomato jalapeño salsa.
- To keep the authenticity going, serve a side of tortillas with our authentic Mexican salsa.
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📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds flank steak diced
- 1/4 cup corn oil
- 12 corn tortillas quality
- 12 lime wedges
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
Ingredients for Flank Steak Marinade:
- 2 tablespoon corn oil
- 2 tablespoon ancho chile powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 3 teaspoon black pepper ground
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder ground
Ingredients for Taqueria Sauce
- 12 oz. tomatoes, crushed
- 1/2 tablespoon white pepper, ground
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon lime, juiced
Instructions
Instructions for Flank Steak Marinade
- Place flank steak on a sheet tray.
- Rub flank steak with ancho chili powder, ground cumin, ground black pepper, garlic powder and Kosher salt.
- Let it rest room temp for 5 minutes.
- Add corn oil and rub until completely incorporated, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Bring a large cast iron pan to high heat (about 4 minutes) and sear flank steak on both sides for 2 minutes (each side). Remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Instructions for Taqueria Sauce:
- Open 12 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, strain] excess liquid and place tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Fold in ground white pepper, white vinegar and Kosher salt.
- Mince in 1 clove garlic and juice 2 tablespoons lime juice.
- Whisk all together for 1 minutes and refrigerate.
Instructions for Assembling Steak Tacos:
- In a large saute pan on medium heat add corn oil. Cook corn tortillas for 1 minute per side.
- Remove from pan and cover with a damp paper towel.
- Next, bring large saute pan to high heat and sear marinated flank steak for 2 minutes on each side. Shut off heat and set aside. Allow steak to rest 5 minutes.
- Assemble tacos and top with cilantro
- Add Taqueria sauce as desired.
Karly says
Drool. It's only Thursday and I'm already counting down the minutes until next Taco Tuesday! YUM!
BootzB says
Sounds like salt overload...
5 tablespoons in the Taquera Sauce, (listed in the ingredients)
.... not to mention the 4 tablespoons of white people (lol)
Just a suggestion, It would be helpful to include the size of the canned tomatoes and please double check your quantities of pepper listed as well as salt.
So it looks like you have a master list of all ingredients needed, then repeat the same ingredients but have them separated by Sauce and Marinade, then separated the Instructions.
This sounds very tasty, I like the idea of a small dice for the steak, but I might miss the browned crispy goodness gained when cooking the steak intact so I may cut the flank steak into 5 or 6 smaller pieces then marinate and cook, then dice. However, I am going to try your method and see which I prefer, maybe with a really hot iron skillet... Thanks for an interesting recipe.
Katherine says
I claim responsibility, not the chef. So much for reading his notes, while feeding a toddler! He got it all squared away, so thanks for taking the time to post about it. As for the steak, he normally grills a flank steak whole, but he happened to pick up diced flank at one of our local Mexican markets while looking for the ancho. So he thought, why not? But you definitely won't go wrong with chopping the flank after resting. Let's us know how it turns out, now that the recipe is correct. =)
Christina says
Has anyone pointed out that the salsa calls for4 Tbs of white people? 🙂
Katherine says
You were the first and I fixed it. Thanks for heads up. I'll shamelessly blame my 18-month-old for distracting me. Although Eddie (chef and hubby) does the recipes most of the time, I think I'll stick with the photography =)
Edyta at Innocent Delight says
I really like all the spices you used for these amazing tacos. I need to get some flank steak soon and make them!
Tina says
These tacos sound fantastic seasoned with the ancho and cumin, count me in!
Daniela says
These look delicious! And thanks for the tips on how to find the best flank steak; it's always tricky to do.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
Mmmm. I love all types of tacos and these look amazing. I love the sauce and spices. I can not wait to try your recipe, though I will use flour tortillas instead of the corn - as I like them better!! But I can't wait!
katriza says
These look so delicious! We have tacos quite a bit in our home because they're so easy to make and the kids love making their own! I definitely need to add this to our meal planner! Thanks!
Katherine says
Yep. Our boys got a kick out of spooning the salsa and sprinkling the cilantro. But not on the tacos I photographed. Their servings were a bit more artistic.
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says
Ohh, these flavors sound amazing! I think this is our Taco Tuesday dinner this week!
Cassie says
These flavours sound terrific - I can already guess what we are having for taco tuesday tonight... YUM!
melissa chapman says
Those tacos look amazing. The keys are definitely marinading the meat and authentic salsa. I think my son would love this.
Beth Davidson says
These look so great. My husband gets so excited when a place serves real street tacos, I can only imagine how happy he would be if I make them!
Karen Morse says
That looks amazing! My husband and I love tacos and steak (aside from fish) is definitely one of the best ingredients to have in a taco! I can't wait to give this one a try!
Brottany says
Oh yes these look absolutely amazing! Tacos have always been a favorite in our house but wow these look good!
AnnMarie John says
Tacos is a favorite in the house especially since they're easy to make and the kids love 'em! I think this recipe is a keeper, thanks for sharing it!
Jessica Joachim says
These look delicious, and today is Taco Tuesday so perfect! I have everything at home already too except I think I only have ground beef but I am going to try to make it work lol
Cindy Ingalls says
This recipe came at the perfect time. I've been craving some tacos. I was also looking for a great recipe to provide flavor inspiration because most of the taco seasonings available at the store contain a bunch of ingredients I don't want in my food.
Robin Rue says
I love to prepare some sort of Mexican food once a week. This looks so perfect!
Jennifer Seigler l Life of a Southern Mom says
These Mexican Steak Tacos look really tasty! I love that you used diced flank steak. I had to smile when I read about the "empty taco." Happened to me once. I am saving your recipe and including this dish in our meal plan this week. The Taqueria Red Salsa sounds amazing too.
Amanda Rosson says
Oh wow, these look so good!! This will be perfect for next week's Taco Tuesdays! ^^
reesa says
Ok so first of all those tortillas look amazing!!! This looks so delicious for taco night! It's a favorite here at home.
Jean says
These tacos look so tasty! I defintiely want to give these a go. I think my husband would love them too!
Carrie & Shannon says
These. Look. AWESOME! We're definitely trying this next Tuesday for Taco Tuesday!
lydia says
Oh, I love love love tacos. These look SO delicious, I'll have to try these out on the next taco night, haha!
Shannon Gurnee says
We love steak and we love tacos in our home. This sounds like a yummy recipe! I'll have to give this a try sometime.
Krystel | Disney on a Budget says
I just had these the other day and they were so good. You really can never go wrong with tacos