Carne Asada Street Tacos
INGREDIENTS
MACERATED ONIONS
¾ Medium Sweet Onion - Small Dice
2 Garlic Cloves - Minced
⅓ Bunch Cilantro Leaves - Finely Chopped
½ Lime - Juiced
1 TBSP Olive Oil
2 tsp Granulated Sugar
Salt - To Taste
Carne Asada
1 lb Carne Asada
3 Garlic Cloves - Minced
1 Bunch Cilantro - Minced Leaves and Stems
1 Jalapeno - Minced
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Limes - Zest and Juice
1 ½ Cups Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
2 tsp Kosher Salt
3 tsp Whole Cumin seeds
¼ tsp Ground Cumin
3 tsp Dark Chili Powder
SERVE WITH
Corn Tortillas
Lime Wedges
DIRECTIONS
MACERATED ONIONS
Dice onion and place in a small bowl.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and sugar over the onion and stir to coat evenly. Let stand about 15 minutes.
Add garlic and remaining cilantro and mix well.
Add lime juice and olive oil and mix well.
Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
NEXT LEVEL TIP:
The lime juice and sugar in this onion mixture create a pickling environment. The longer the finished onions sit, the more developed the flavors will be. Make your onion mixture one day in advance to give the pickling process extra time to work its magic.
If you are using presliced meat, lower the salt content by about half to make sure that the meat does not get over salted as you marinate it!
CARNE ASADA
Clean the meat of any silver skin if your butcher did not already do this for you. Leave whole and set in a 9x13 pan.
In a small mixing bowl, combine garlic, 2/3 minced cilantro, jalapeno, spices, and lime zest.
Rub mixture onto the meat, coating evenly.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine lime juice, 2 TBSP olive oil, and orange juice, whisk together.
Pour second mixture over meat, ensure the marinade comes in contact with the entire surface of the meat.
Cover with plastic wrap or foil, and let marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature, flipping the meat over after 30 minutes. Or, marinate for 3 hrs in fridge, flipping every 30 minutes.
Heat large sauté pan over medium high heat with 1 TBSP olive oil.
Add meat when pan is hot and cook 3-4 minutes on each side.
Remove meat from pan and let it rest.
Add leftover marinade to the hot pan and bring to a boil.
Boil for 1-2 minutes and remove from heat.
Slice meat 1/4” thick.
In a serving bowl, combine heated marinade and sliced meat.
NEXT LEVEL TIP:
Toast your spices in a small sauté pan before adding them to the dish to develop a deeper, richer flavor.
If you marinated your meat in the refrigerator, leave it at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking. This will eliminate excess cooling of the pan and give the meat a better sear. Better sear = more flavor.
BUILDING THE TACOS
Warm Tortillas.
Top with Carne Asada and macerated onions.
Show off on Instagram so I can see your hard work!
Make sure to share your tacos on Instagram, tag me @chef.scotthamilton, and use the Hashtags #chroniclesofachef or #inspiringmyinnerfoodie. If you have any questions along the way, please reach out to me!