Carne Asada Tacos Recipe

A plate with three carne asada tacos with lime wedges on the side.

My deliciously simple Carne Asada Taco recipe features juicy strips of grilled marinated steak, soft corn tortillas, creamy guacamole, fresh cilantro, and sharp white onions.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Marinating time 2

Total Time 2 25

Servings servings

Calories 565kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Baking dish or zip-top plastic bag
Grill or grill pan
Large skillet

Ingredients

For the Carne Asada:

¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
¼ cup orange juice (60mL)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic minced
½ jalapeno seeded and minced
1½ pounds skirt steak (675g)

For the Tacos:

8 corn tortillas
Guacamole
Diced white onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Instructions

For the Carne Asada:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ancho chile powder, cumin, pepper, garlic, and jalapeno. Place the steak into a large baking dish or zip-top bag. Pour in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours, turning the steak once while resting.
When ready to cook, remove the steak and discard the marinade. Pat dry with paper towels. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes while you start the grill.
Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (450°F).
Season the steak with the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Grill the steak for 4 to 6 minutes on each side for medium-rare (125°F-130°F) or longer to reach your desired doneness. Remove the steak and let it rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice it against the grain to serve. Chop the slices into small pieces for easier eating, if you like, and mix with any juices from the board.

To Serve:

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Toast the tortillas for about 10 to 20 seconds on each side, until warm and flexible.
For each taco, spread a spoonful of guacamole on a tortilla. Top with the carne asada, diced onion, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Notes

To speed up the marinating process, you can chop the steak into small, bite-sized pieces before marinating. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and discard the marinade, then cook the meat in a regular cast-iron skillet over medium heat to your desired doneness.
Make sure that you aren’t marinating the steak for too long. The acids in citrus juice are strong enough to unravel the proteins in the meat; while this has a tenderizing effect to a point, it will eventually start to make it mushy and unappealing. For a cut as thin as skirt steak, up to 8 hours is ideal. And you really don’t want to leave it in the marinade for any longer than 12 hours. To prep ahead for dinner, marinate the steak in the morning before work or when your day gets busy, and then it’s ready to go in the evening!

Nutrition