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Mexican Street Tacos - Easy, quick, authentic carne asada street tacos you can make right at home! Top with onion, cilantro and lime juice!

Easy, quick, authentic carne asada street tacos you can make right at home! Top with onion, cilantro and lime juice!

Mexican street tacos recipe with carne asada steak, onion, cilantro, and lime on warm tortillas

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I just discovered your recipe this month. I’ve made and eaten many a taco growing up in Southern California and crossing the border for street tacos. Yours are fabulous! My husband grilled the skirt steak, and as we devoured the tacos with our requisite corn tortillas, we couldn’t stop raving about them! I didn’t want him to take the leftovers for lunch the next day! We’re having them again tonight. Can’t wait! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Peggy
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Now that I’ve moved to the brisk, cold winter of Chicago, I can’t stop thinking about the taco trucks in Los Angeles serving authentic Mexican street tacos packed with carne asada, onion, cilantro, and lime. But until I can get back to sunny California, here is my rendition of my favorite street tacos that I miss so dearly. It’s a super quick recipe using a simple marinade for your skirt steak. It just needs 1 hour of marinating before you throw it onto a hot skillet. From there, you can top off your tacos with diced onion, cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice. Simple, easy and just perfect.

Why You’ll Love This Mexican Street Tacos Recipe

  • Make-ahead recipe. This is an easy peasy one skillet dinner with a simple 1 to 4 hour marinade, great for prepping ahead of time for those busy weeknights.
  • Favorited street tacos. Mexican street tacos are a crowd-favorite for the entire family, and now you can easily make these tacos right at home with easy-to-find ingredients and pantry staples. No fancy equipment or specialty ingredients needed here!
  • Freezer-friendly. The carne asada meat can easily be frozen, great for batch cooking, meal prep or saving leftovers. This makes it even easier to whip up tacos using fresh tortilla and your favorite toppings, great for Taco Tuesdays!

What Are Mexican Street Tacos

A Mexican street taco is a small taco on a corn tortilla with meats like carne asada, carnitas, or al pastor. They’re part of Mexico’s street food culture and are usually sold from carts or taco trucks, topped simply with onion, cilantro, and lime. Onion, cilantro and cotija cheese are classic street taco toppings.

Carne asada steak cooking in cast iron skillet for Mexican street tacos

Tips for Perfect Mexican Street Tacos Every Time

  • Use a cast iron skillet. Use a cast iron skillet, the same tool used in many Mexico street food stalls. Cast iron skillets retain heat much better than nonstick pans, giving your carne asada that authentic sear for Mexican tacos.
  • Use flour or corn tortillas. Mexican street tacos are traditionally made with corn tortillas but small flour or corn tortillas can be used depending on personal preference.
  • Double up the tortilla. Street tacos are typically served on two tortillas, known as la copia or “the copy”. This practice helps keep the filling together, and if the first tortilla breaks, the back up tortilla can be used for the rest of the filling.
  • Slice for tenderness. For the best steak tacos recipe, slice the carne asada thinly against the grain so every bite stays tender.
  • Serve with your favorite toppings. Serve with diced onion, cilantro, cotija cheese, salsa verde, guacamole, or salsa. Cotija cheese is a classic Mexican ingredient that adds salty, authentic flavor to any street taco recipe.
  • Freeze as needed. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months.
Street tacos served with onion, cilantro, and lime on corn tortillas

Best Sides to Serve with Mexican Street Tacos

Tools For This Recipe

Large cast iron skillet

Mexican Street Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different cut of meat?

Skirt steak, flank steak or sirloin steak are all great options.

Can I make this with chicken?

Yes! We have a recipe for that here.

How can I store leftovers?

Leftover steak can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Are carne asada tacos freezer-friendly?

Yes! The leftover steak, prior to assembling in tacos, will freeze beautifully. Let cool completely; portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Street tacos served with onion, cilantro, and lime on corn tortillas

Mexican Street Tacos

Yield: 6 servings
Prep: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
Easy, quick, authentic carne asada street tacos you can make right at home! Top with onion, cilantro and lime juice!
4.9 stars (400 ratings)
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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 cast iron 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.

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