Mexican Street Tacos
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Easy, quick, authentic carne asada street tacos you can now make right at home! Top with onion, cilantro + fresh lime juice! SO GOOD!
You truly begin to miss things once they are gone. That’s not just a saying. It’s real life.
See, I lived a block away from a famous taco truck back in LA. And as much as I love street tacos, I only went there maybe four times a year.
And now that I’ve moved to Chicago, all I think about is the proximity of that taco truck back home in Los Angeles. If that taco truck were here in Chiberia, I would go four times a day!
But until I get back to LA, here is my rendition of my favorite street tacos that I miss so dearly.
It’s a quick recipe using a simple marinade for your skirt steak. It just needs 1 hour of marinating before you throw it onto a skillet. From there, you can top off your tacos with diced onion, cilantro and fresh lime juice.
It’s simple, it’s easy and it’s just perfect. That is, until you can get back to Los Angeles!
Mexican Street Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 ½ pounds skirt steak, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 12 mini flour tortillas, warmed
- ¾ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Equipment
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, lime juice, 1 tablespoon canola oil, garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine soy sauce mixture and steak; marinate for at least 1 hour up to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add steak and marinade, and cook, stirring often, until steak has browned and marinade has reduced, about 5-6 minutes, or until desired doneness.
- Serve steak in tortillas, topped with onion, cilantro and lime.
Did you make this recipe?
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This was really, really good. I just happened to have some Cotija cheese and used that as a topper as well and it was excellent. I was concerned though that the receipe says to add the steak and the marinade to the skillet but I had no extra marinade. But when you cook it that marinade seems to melt and provide the liquid you need to cook the steak.
I am a terrible cook and this still came out perfect. Great recipe!
Very easy and tasted great! Love the recipes you put on your site.
Haven’t tried not big on taco’s except fish. But these do look good so I’ll try. How do you cook the flour tortillas to get the charred edges etc.
The charred edges were made simply for photographic purposes. It’s not needed for taste purposes though! 🙂
Can this be cooked on the grill?
Absolutely!
10/10 Would recommend trying out. I would double the recipe I could eat like 5-6 just by myself.
I have NEVER left a review before.. but this one is a must!
These are the REAL DEAL!! I used Filet Mignon steak because I can’t stand to have fat in my mouth. But only had full salt soy sauce so I just didn’t add as much.. other than that I followed the recipe exactly.
SOOO good!!!! Thank you very much for this recipe.. now I don’t have to search for a street taco vendor at odd hours when I have a craving 🙂 lol
I’m making these for a 2nd time tonight! Made them for the first time a month ago and they were incredible ! Chungah – I was wondering if you have any street taco recommendations out in LA? Just moved here from Florida and I’m craving some amazing places to try out!
Leo’s Tacos Truck is my all-time favorite! SO GOOD!
I’m so happy to find this recipe, as this looks/sounds exactly like the delicious tacos I would get at Taqueria Lorena’s in San Jose, CA when I lived there in the 90’s.
They also served a carrot & hot pepper side with them, do you have your own recipe for that, as well? Again, thank you for this recipe, I am back in rural Virginia and miss these tacos so much!
The carrot & hot pepper side sounds amazing! But unfortunately, I do not have a recipe for this at this time.
I haven’t tried these yet, but they look like what’s sold at our taco trucks here in the Central Valley of California. Yum! On a side note, THANK YOU for keeping your blog post short. It drives me crazy when I’m looking for a recipe and they go on…and on…and on… and I keep scrolling…and there’s another picture…and more text. Scrolling for 15 minutes just to get to the recipe. Not a fan. Again, thank you!
These tacos were AMAZING! My whole family – including the kids – oohed and ahhed as we ate!! The marinade couldn’t be easier and is absolutely delicious!
So happy your whole family enjoyed it, Nancy! Thanks for sharing!
Everything I’ve made from this site so far has been delicious but this is one of the best meals I have ever cooked. Better than any tacos I’ve had out. Seriously loved this and will definitely make again!
We absolutely love hearing that! Thank you, Sarah!
Chungah – Your recipes are great. I also bought your book. But it will help if your recipe also has video of that item. There are videos on your recipe page, but they are randomly picked.
Hi Ketan! So the video player will play all of my recipe videos but if you go to a specific recipe (ex. Instant Pot Korean Beef), the corresponding recipe video will be played right above the recipe box. Hope that makes sense! 🙂
I’m gluten free. Can I use corn tortillas?
Sure!
I’m going to make this tonight. I have to also use chicken because I can’t eat red meat. Any suggestions? I’m going to follow the directions but separate the meat and the chicken. Wish me luck
Colleen
How did the chicken turn out? I don’t like steak.
I made this last night and they were better than any street taco I’ve ordered out. Instead of skirt steak, which can sometimes be either sublime or very chewy (I can’t achieve consistency with this cut of meat…), I used a boneless ribeye. I also sliced up some radishes and crumbled some cojita cheese to supplement the onion and cilantro. This will make the bi-weekly week night meal rotation. So quick and easy!
Looking forward to making this. I have to say that you can for sure get tacos like this in Chicago, but you will probably need to leave the Loop though! They serve them just like this, except maybe with white onion instead of red. If they aren’t making the tortillas in house, they probably are made by El Milagro right here in Chicago. Great Mexican food can be had in Chicago, so do not despair!
Very tasty. Do you have any advice on how to make steaks not chewy? It seems like every time I make steak they end up subpar.
Here are some great tips, Matt! 🙂
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-make-tough-meat-tender/
Slice meat against the grain. This cuts through/shortens the fibers, causing the meat to be easier to chew.
Cutting the steak into half inch pieces should have required cutting against the grain. Unless you cut half inch strips and didnt do it against the grain.
Using baking soda to tenderize meat is a sure fire method! Hopefully, the link I’m going to list below will show up in this reply. However, if it does not, do an internet search for baking soda to tenderize meat. It works great for chicken as well. Make sure you use baking soda and NOT baking powder! Make sure also to follow the time constraints as a longer duration than is recommend is not better!
https://www.mashed.com/181335/the-secret-ingredient-you-need-for-the-most-tender-meat/
I made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. The marinade was delicious. I served the tacos with red onion, cilantro, shredded cheese, lime, and some spicy salsa. This would probably taste really great with the steak grilled too. Thanks for the recipe!
Your version sounds delicious, Shawna!
Another winner! I’ve probably made at least a dozen recipes from Damn Delicious and each one is better than the last. I love that they are usually quick, easy and my kids will eat it. I should have doubled the recipe because everyone wanted seconds and thirds. Thank you!
Thank you, Susan! We’re so happy to hear that everyone loved it! 🙂
These tacos look absolutely delicious with lots of flavor! Can’t wait to make these!
i used beef tenderloin and marinated for about 30 minutes. delicious! throw your tortillas under the broiler with a bit of sharp cheddar!
Great idea, Shelby! Thanks for sharing! 🙂