This is an easy steak street taco recipe with chuck roast or flank steak cast iron style. Made with marinated beef inside tortillas with cilantro and onions, this is the perfect high protein Mexican dinner for taco Tuesdays.
Mexican street tacos are a popular street food consisting of small, soft corn tortillas filled with a variety of flavorful ingredients. Typically made with thin strip steak that has been marinated, grilled or pan fried and served with garnishes like avocado, cilantro and lime they are cheap and high protein.
What makes a street taco?
Usually diced meat grilled with onions and a sauce. If you wanted to make Instant Pot Birria Tacos with Consommé which will give it a huge punch of flavor and spice you could follow these directions. With a more tender texture than on a grill or fried like below it is a great way to make a larger batch under high pressure.
And this is How to Make Air Fryer Tacos if you would rather use that machine instead of your stovetop. We will go over two other ways below too. Depending on what is clean, how much time I have and my mood I will switch it up here and there.
What meat should you use for street tacos?
We have made these after completing our Skirt Steak in Oven recipe, rest while you are making or prepping your shells, and slice against the grain. You could follow our Carne Asada Crock Pot tacos. If you are into low and slow with little to no prep on your part I would go with this method. Great for large parties where it can be kept warm for hours, people can serve for lunch and then dinner again.
Now we are using beef or steak specifically to make these because that is traditionally what is cooked. You could certainly switch this up with different proteins. Cow Tongue Tacos is popular in Mexico and is fun to try something new sometimes right?
I have seen these made as a hot Chorizo Taco Recipe too. That would be a ground pork version vs. beef which may be preferred, cheaper than any other protein really and already has tons of flavor mixed in so there is no need to marinate or add a dry rub to the outsides really.
Any protein should be thinly sliced and you would want some homemade air fryer tortillas with simple toppings like cilantro and maybe some pico de gallo or onions.
Marinade Ingredients
You are going to want to start with some olive oil or avocado oil works to make the sauce you are going to marinate the meat in initially.
Lime juice or orange juice for a citrus bang is a must for this type of meal, and breaks down the connective tissues as it sits inside to make it as tender as possible.
- Soy sauce or aminos for gluten free option give it a salty umami flavor to it
- Salt and pepper to taste you should add
- Granulated garlic we love for added flavor bang
- Chili powder or dry Sriracha is optional for heat, adjust for spicy or mild
How to Serve
Warm tortillas are a must. If you want to start from scratch this is How to Make Masa to cook on a grill top and toss until both sides are browned but still soft and pliable. If you wanted a crunch I would go with our Air Fryer Taco Shells instead, though that isn’t traditionally how they are served up.
Cotija cheese is traditional but closest alternative would be feta at the stores. Chopped cilantro should be added to the top for freshness. Diced onions should be white or yellow for an alternative. Sliced avocados from fresh, wait until they are slightly tender while a bit firm and not mushy. Queso fresco or Cilantro Lime Sauce is yummy too
Steak Street Tacos Recipe
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound steak
- 1/3 cup red onion
- 1/2 large avocado, sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In a bag, mix lime juice, soy sauce, olive oil, salt and spices. Place the steak in the bag and let it marinate for 15-20 minutes. After 20 minutes, dry the steak and cut it into small strips or cubes.
- Fry the beef over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring. Then transfer to a plate. You can add 1 tbsp butter to the pan and fry the corn tortillas for 1 minute on each side over medium heat.
- Place beef, diced avocado, red onion and chopped cilantro on tortilla. Sprinkle with additional lime juice and serve. If desired, you can also add tomatoes, corn salsa, and cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Do street tacos have cheese?
Not typically, sometimes cojita will be offered. Now that you have a choice of many ways you can make these popular carne asada street tacos, we will explain how to make them on the stove too in the recipe card below. All are similar but will have a different texture depending on the cooking method chosen. If you air fry you’ll get a crisp like no other, just fyi.
If you have your own favorite carne asada recipe but want to know how to serve them in the most traditional way we have a suggestion below. I would first get some festive tablecloths and I like using slow cookers on warm to keep meat inside so it doesn’t get cold.
