Carne Asada Tacos

Exploding with Flavor

One bite of these carne asada tacos and you’ll see why they are worth the time it takes to marinate the meat to juicy, flavorful, and tender levels of deliciousness.

This street tacos recipe is a natural follow-up to the carne asada recipe I posted not long ago because although the meat is perfect as a main with a couple of side dishes, I can’t help but love them even more in this carne asada taco recipe.

Enjoy street style tacos or food truck tacos right at home with these tacos and my birria taco recipe! They’re super simple to make using strips of juicy marinated steak wrapped in corn tortillas and then topped with onions, cilantro, avocado, and lime juice. Of course, you’re welcome to add whatever other toppings you like to your steak tacos!

Why This Recipe Works

• Effortless. It’s really about how you prepare and tenderize the meat and allowing it to marinate long enough. Other than that, the grill does the grilling then it’s all about the toppings!
• So much flavor. Made with fresh ingredients, the carne asada marinade recipe combines smoky, spicy, and citrusy flavors that penetrate the meat for up to 12 hours. You can imagine how juicy and flavorful it ends up being!
• Tender meat. Every bite of taco is fall apart tender as flank steak (or skirt steak) tends to be when prepared properly. Tenderized and pounded, marinated, then grilled to perfection.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Marinade ingredients: Olive oil, fresh lime juice, orange juice, white vinegar, minced jalapeno, crushed garlic, fresh cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. You’ll need extra salt and pepper for seasoning just before grilling.
• Flank steak: You’ll need to tenderize it and pound it first by placing it in between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a zip-loc bag. Then use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound it to an even thickness. It’s inexpensive meat that cooks quickly, so it’s great for grilling.
• Corn tortillas: These are traditional for carne asada tacos, so to make it as authentic as possible, I prefer corn tortillas. You can use flour tortillas if you would rather.
• Toppings: Chopped onions, sliced limes, avocado slices, and cilantro.

Taco Topping Ideas

The fun part!

What’s great about Mexican recipes like fish tacos, shrimp tacos, and carnitas tacos is that so many of the ingredients are interchangeable. Seasonings, toppings, fillings, you name it!

For most of my taco recipes I’ll always have a variety of other toppings for people to choose from including:

• Guacamole
• Cotija cheese
• Sour cream
• Refried beans
• Pico de gallo
• Lime crema
• Salsa
• Avocado salsa

Expert Tips

• Marinate time. At least 1 hour but no more than 12 hours, otherwise the lime juice will start to “cook” the meat and break it down too much.
• Let it rest. Flank steak is quite lean and needs juices to keep it moist. If you slice into it without letting it rest first, the juices will run out leaving the meat dry.
• Slice against the grain. In this type of steak, the fibers are easily visible. They are the lines in the meat that run down in the same direction. Slicing against the grain means slicing across, shortening those fibers as you go.
• Less is more. The flavorful grilled meat is really the star of the show. As much as we love to add toppings, it’s important not to overload it with ingredients that overpower the steak.