Here I’ll show you how to easily whip up steak tacos in the most delicious way possible!
There are so many different ways you can make steak tacos, but I’m going to throw my hat in the ring in the bid for the ‘best’ way 😄 Follow me…
Tomato Corn Salsa
One of the main attractions of these steak tacos is the salsa. It’s fresh, vibrant and best of all, it’s easy to make and uses simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tomatoes – Any variety you like! I actually used baby plum tomatoes here, just because I had a bunch in the fridge needing to be used.
- Sweetcorn – I use tinned sweetcorn, but you could cook some corn on the cob if you fancy. Bonus points for lightly charred sweetcorn!
- Onion – I use red onion, but if you only have white that’ll work just fine.
- Coriander/Cilantro – This is a must in salsa! If you REALLY don’t like it you can sub parsley.
- Jalapeño – I use fresh jalapeño but you can get away with jarred jalapeños if that’s what you have.
- Lime Juice – Brings the salsa to life.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Adds a silky texture and a gentle background flavour.
- Seasoning – I add a dash of cumin, alongside the obvious salt and pepper.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yep! Just tightly store in the fridge until needed. I typically leave out the salt until serving, just so it doesn’t turn too soupy as it rests (salt will draw out the moisture from the tomatoes).
Process shots: add ingredients to bowl (photo 1), stir to combine (photo 2).
Steak Tacos
A lot of recipes use thin cuts of steak like Flank, but I usually just go for a Sirloin or Rump. For a recipe like this where the steak is sliced so thinly, it’s more about the prep/cooking of the meat than it is the cut.
Preparing the steak
Whichever steak you choose, here’s some tips to getting the best out of it:
- Room Temp – I know there is some dispute over this, but I do find that getting the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes or so before frying is helpful in relaxing the meat and preventing it from seizing up/going chewy.
- Dry – Patting the steak dry will remove moisture, which prevents the steak from steaming and in turn, helps the steak caramelise more efficiently in the pan.
- Seasoning – A generous seasoning of salt and pepper is all you need to bring out the best flavour in the meat. There’s plenty of flavour in the butter, so no need for extra seasoning on the meat.
- Hot pan – Make sure your pan is absolutely smoking hot (literally). This will ensure you get a gorgeous crust on the steak without the inside overcooking.
- Rest – Really important you rest the steak after you’ve cooked it so it can retain its moisture. If you slice into it straight away all the juices will pour out.
I love basting the steaks in some butter and garlic too, but this is optional.
Process shots: pat dry and season steaks (photo 1), add to hot pan (photo 2), flip (photo 3), baste (photo 4).
Street Tacos
I love using the small street market corn tortillas you can buy from the supermarket. I find the steak gets a bit lost if your tortillas are too big – these mini ones give you nice bulky tacos!
Cheesy Steak Tacos
Me being me, I’ve obviously gone and added some cheese to each tortilla as they warm in the oven. I opted for a spicy cheese mix, but you can just use Cheddar if that’s what you have!
Process shots: add tortillas to tray (photo 1), add cheese (photo 2), bake until cheese melts (photo 3).
Steak Street Tacos
Okay, ready to serve. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tortilla – With the melted cheese.
- Avocado – Smashed and seasoned with salt.
- Steak – Very thinly sliced.
- Salsa – Add as much or as little as you like.
- Feta – Adds a lovely salty flavour and pairs beautifully with the other fillings.
- Hot Sauce – This is optional, but I love a few lashes to finish.
Slicing the steak
You’ll want to slice the steak against the natural grain of the meat and with the knife at an angle. This will result in the most tender steak. The very thin slices make the tacos much easier to eat.
Process shots: add smashed avo to tortilla (photo 1), add steak (photo 2), add salsa (photo 3), add feta and hot sauce (photo 4).
Serving Steak Tacos
To serve, if I’ve got any leftover coriander/cilantro lurking around I’ll sprinkle over some torn leaves. I also love adding a spoonful of the salsa juices, but that’s totally optional!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these steak tacos shall we?!
How to make Steak Tacos (Full Recipe & Video)
Steak Tacos (easy & delicious!)
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Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Mixing Bowl (for salsa)
- Kitchen/Parchment Paper (for drying steaks)
- Large Cast-Iron or Heavy-Based Pan & Tongs (for cooking steaks)
- 2 Large Baking Trays (for cheesy tortillas)
Ingredients
Salsa
- 150g / 5.3oz Tomatoes, finely diced
- 100g / 3.5oz Sweetcorn
- 1 large fresh Jalapeno, deseeded & finely diced (see notes)
- 1/2 medium Red Onion, finely diced
- 1/2 small bunch of Coriander/Cilantro, finely diced
- 1 Lime, juice only
- 1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Cumin
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
Steak
- 2x 250g/9oz Steaks of choice, at room temp (see notes)
- 1 tbsp Oil
- 2 tbsp Butter + 2 crushed cloves of Garlic, optional but recommended
- Salt & Pepper, as needed
Tacos
- 9-10 Street Market Tortillas (see notes)
- 150g / 5.3oz Tex Mex/Spicy Cheese Mix, or as needed (see notes)
- 2 medium Avocados
- 50g / 1.8oz Feta, crumbled
- Hot Sauce, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
- Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Leave at room temp and give it a good mix before serving.
- Place a large cast-iron or heavy-based pan over high heat. Pat the steaks dry with kitchen/parchment paper then generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Once the pan is very hot add 1 tbsp oil, leave for 5-10 seconds, then add both steaks. For medium-rare leave undisturbed for 2 minutes, then flip and fry for a further minute. Add the butter and garlic and baste for a further minute then remove and rest the steaks to one side for 5 minutes.
- As they rest, spread the tortillas out on 2 trays and sprinkle each one with cheese. Place in the oven for 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts. During this time you can roughly smash the avocado, although if you’re short on time you can just scoop it out and smash onto the tacos as and when you’re serving.
- Very thinly slice the steaks, ensuring you slice with the knife at an angle and against the natural grain of the meat.
- Stack the tortillas: smashed avo + pinch of salt, steak + some resting juices if desired, salsa, feta, hot sauce. Tuck in and enjoy!
Video
Notes
b) Steaks – I typically use rump or sirloin steaks which are around 2cm thick. 2 minutes each side will offer medium rare, but use your best judgement depending on the steaks you have and your preferred doneness.
c) Tortillas – You’ll find the Old El Paso small street market tortillas in most supermarkets (I get mine from Morrisons). If you can’t find them just use any small tortillas you can find.
d) Cheese – Morrisons sell both Tex Mex Cheese blend and Spicy Cheese Mix and I’m sure other supermarkets will sell something similar. If you can’t find anything similar just use Cheddar.
e) Jalapeños – A lot of supermarkets sell fresh jalapeños (in the packets near the fresh herbs). You could sub pickled/jarred jalapeños and just work to preference. You might want to use a little less lime juice if you’re doing that because the pickled jalapeños will already off a bit of acidity.
e) Calories – Per taco.
Nutrition
For another delicious steak recipe check out my Ultimate Steak Sandwich!
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Taco Recipes
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