The easiest taco ever! The tastiest taco every! Carne asada tacos with cherry tomato pico de gallo. Living in Central America, this could not not be in my Taco series.
These tacos are simple; steak, salsa, avocado, that’s it! Marinated steak grilled on the bbq (but stovetop works just as well) in a corn tortilla with mashed avocado smeared on it and topped with freshly chopped pico de gallo. SO GOOD! What do you think? Let’s make some carne asado tacos!
How I make these carne asada tacos with cherry tomato pico de gallo?
marinate the steak
I put the steak and all its marinate ingredients – cumin, chili, garlic, cilantro, salt + pepper, lime & orange juice and olive oil – in a ziplock bag. After massaging the steak through the bag I let it sit in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours.
Make the cherry tomato pico de gallo
It is as simple as mixing all the ingredients in a sealable container. I mix it all, close the lid, give it a shake and let it sit (in the refrigerator) until I assemble the tacos.
Grill time!
I light up the bbq or a grill pan. In the meantime I take the steak out of the refrigerator and out of the bag. I shake most of the marinate off and let it come to room temperature. Once the bbq is hot and ready, I place the steak on the grill. When the steak is charred on one side I flip it over and place it more to the outside of the grill so it can slowly get to medium rare (that is how I like my steak). When it is ready, I take it off the grill and leave it on a cutting board for 5-8 minutes before cutting it.
Toast tortillas
To make corn tortillas’ flavor come out even better I toast them on the bbq as well. Or when I don’t use the bbq, I place a tortilla on a lit burner of my stovetop. I keep a close eye though, they turn dark very quick; a quick char is all they need!
Chop up the steak
I take the steak off the grill and slice it into thin strips and then I chop up the strips into smaller pieces.
Mash avocado
To make the avocado I scoop it out of its shell and use a fork to roughly mash it. I spread the mashed avocado on a tortilla and top it with the chopped steak.
The finishing touch: the garnishing
On each tortilla with mashed avocado and steak I spoon some pico de gallo and freshly chopped cilantro. I serve lime wedges on the side so everyone can decide theirselves if they want a squeeze of lime juice on their taco.
That’s it! My tacos are ready! I often serve these carne asada tacos with a Mexican inspired salad; I toss together cubed mango, bell pepper, avocado, black beans, corn and cucumber. And I make extra steak marinate so I can reserve some as a dressing for the salad.
Juicy steak, mashed avocado and the freshest salsa on toasted corn tortillas; what is there not to like!? We truly love these tacos. We hope you do too. They are
so easy to make – juicy – flavorful – and irresistibly delicious
Love tacos? Check out my cauliflower tinga tacos and grilled mahi mahi and pineapple tacos as well or this Taco Tuesday recipe that covers all the basics.
Carne asada tacos with cherry tomato pico de gallo
Equipment
- BBQ, grill or grill pan
Ingredients
steak+marinate
- 2 lbs flank steak (or similar cut of beef of your preference)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½-1½ tsp chili powder (to taste; I used only ½ tsp because of the kids)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 handful cilantro leaves (chopped)
- 2 limes (juice and zest)
- 1 orange (juice and zest)
- 1 tsp sea salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
Other ingredients
- 8 corn tortillas (you can also use flour tortillas if you prefer them over corn)
- 1 medium avocado (mashed)
Pico de gallo
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes (halved or even quartered)
- ½ medium onion (finely chopped)
- ¼-1 jalapeño (seeds removed, chopped)(optional)
- ½ cup cilantro leaves (chopped)
- 1 lime (juice)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Marinate the steak:
- Put the steak and all its marinate ingredients in a ziplock bag. After massaging the steak through the bag, let it sit in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours.
Cherry tomato pico de gallo
- Put all ingredients in a sealable container; mix it all, close the lid, give it a shake and let it rest (in the fridge) until you are ready to assemble the tacos.
Grill the meat
- Light up the bbq or a grill pan. In the meantime take the steak out of the refrigerator and out of the bag, shake off most of the marinate and let the meat come to room temperature.
- Once the bbq is hot and ready, place the steak on the grill. When the steak is charred on one side (roughly after 1 minute), flip it over and place it a bit more to the outside of the grill so it can slowly get to medium rare (or however you like your steak). Between 4 to 8 minutes (roughly; all depends on how hot your bbq is). When it is ready, take it off the grill and leave it on a cutting board for 5-10 minutes before cutting it.
Toast tortillas
- Toast the tortillas on the bbq together with the steak. Or, if you don't use a bbq, place a tortilla on a lit burner of your stovetop. Keep a close eye though, they turn dark very quick!
Assemble the tacos
- Take the steak off the grill and slice it into thin strips and then chop up the strips into smaller pieces.
- Scoop the avocado out of its shell and use a fork to roughly mash it. Spread the mashed avocado on a tortilla and top it with the chopped steak.
- On each taco spoon some pico de gallo and freshly chopped cilantro. Serve lime wedges on the side.
Notes
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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