Description
Street-style carne asada tacos are the gold standard of Mexican street food — thin-sliced, charred beef on doubled-up corn tortillas with nothing but white onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. The meat is marinated in citrus and spices, grilled hard and fast, and chopped on the board. Simple, direct, and completely satisfying.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs flank or skirt steak
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 16 small corn tortillas, doubled up
- 1 white onion, finely diced
- Fresh cilantro for serving
- Lime wedges
- Salsa verde
Instructions
- Whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, jalapeño, and cilantro. Pour over the steak in a dish or zip-top bag. Marinate 1 to 4 hours refrigerated.
- Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Let it come to room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Heat a grill or cast iron skillet to high heat. Grill the steak 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare (130°F internal). The goal is a hard char on the outside.
- Let the steak rest 10 minutes. Slice thin against the grain, then chop into small pieces.
- Warm the doubled corn tortillas on the grill or a dry skillet.
- Serve the chopped carne asada on tortillas topped with diced onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and salsa verde.
Notes
- Skirt steak has more fat and beefy flavor than flank, but flank is more widely available. Both work well.
- Slicing against the grain is critical — it is the difference between tender bites and chewy strips.
- Double up the corn tortillas street-style — they hold the juices without falling apart in your hands.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 720
- Fat: 24
- Carbohydrates: 36
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 42
- Cholesterol: 95