Taco Tuesday Recipes
Need Taco Tuesday Recipes? Here Are Our Top 21 Authentic Mexican Tacos, Salsas, Guacamoles & Tortillas
We eat 4.5 billion tacos a year in the U.S., and they are sneaking up on pizza as our fave national food. This tortilla-wrapped tesoro, which can be a snack or a meal depending how you fill it and cuando you eat it, has a dedicated day of the week and an annual national day of taco-celebration every Oct. 4. Ever since the first taco was eaten in los Estados Unidos in the early 1900s, American has been in taco love.
No wonder Taco Tuesday is the favorite day of the work week for so many of us. 🌮❤️
So, what will you make next Taco Tuesday? In this Familia Kitchen Taco Tuesday Guide, we’ve rounded up our community of homecooks’ favorite dishes, including their:
• 10 favorite Mexican taco recipes: carne, fish, shrimp, chicken, papa with rajas, and vegan,
• 8 family-famous salsa recipes: red, green, avocado, pico, macha y más,
• 2 favorite guacamole recipes to garnish your taco with avocado goodness, and
• 1 trusted step-by-step guide to making corn tortillas from scratch, for all your DIYers.
Here’s wishing you a happy and delicioso Taco Tuesday. ¡Feliz martes de tacos a todos! Because: Tacos make everything better and más fun.
Beef Barbacoa Street Tacos
These barbacoa tacos were sent to Familia Kitchen by Arizona homecook Michelle Ezratty Murphy. “I’ve been hankering for a street taco lately, so I started playing around in my kitchen with the next best thing: Barbacoa beef taco recipes at home. The best barbacoa, imho, has the distinct flavor of cumin. And because it has been slow-cooked for hours, the beef takes on this unbelievably rich, deep, smoky, almost coffee-like flavor. That’s what I was going for: real-deal. street taco sabor,” she says. Misión cumplida. Try them for yourself!
Tacos de Carne Asada
These authentic carne asada tacos are a go-to in the Southern California home of one of our favorite Mexican-food cocineras Anjie Villalobos. “This recipe is traditional in that there is lots of lime, onion, garlic and spices that are very traditional to Mexican cooking. The beer, of course, helps tenderize the meat and helps impart some really nice flavor.”
Pablo’s Chicken Tacos Dorados
These chicken tacos dorados remind Illinois caterer Pablo Lorenzo of his childhood in Acapulco, Mexico. His mom would make this recipe on the regular. They are crunchy-delicioso and his entire family loved them. As a bonus, this dish is super-fácil to make, and the ingredients are affordable and readily available. The ingredients are cooked in the broth, which explains why the chicken and vegetables are so flavorful. Serve these tacos with your favorite salsa, says Pablo. Whichever you like best: smoky red or spicy green.
Pork Tenderloin & Cabbage Tacos
These healthy pork tacos check all the boxes. Delicioso. Filling. Low fat. Low cal. They’re also savory and spicy, which is what we crave on a hot summer day, chilly winter afternoon, during the game, on Taco Tuesday, or late night out. In other words, all the time. This recipe is from Naihomy Jerez, a food and wellness coach, who flipped this recipe to make it good-for-us. She used pork tenderloin instead of beef and changed out the rich toppings, like the extra cheese and sour cream, for superfoods like thinly sliced cabbage and avocado. Que bueno.
Tilapia Fish Tacos With Pineapple & Chipotle Salsa
These Baja-style sauce-drizzled tilapia fish tacos are a hit in the home of MariCarmen Ortiz Conway. ”I hope yours loves them too. There are many ways to prepare Baja sauce. This is my way: I use Mexican mayo and add tomato puree for a great touch to the combination of flavors also including: Pineapple, chipotle chile, and, por supuesto: the breaded pescado. I use tilapia, which is sweet, light and fresh-tasting and takes on the flavors of the chile and cilantro beautifully.” See how to make this recipe!
Air Fryer Fish Tacos: Guilt-Free!
These spicy fish tacos with jalapeño-flavored cabbage slaw and pickled red onions are Chicago cook Vivi Abeja’s No. 1 pick when we asked her for a recipe that is waist-friendly and super delicioso. The best thing of all is that you don’t sacrifice an ounce of sabor, she promises. It’s something of a taco miracle. Turns out it’s all about using the air fryer and how she garnishes. “I’ve seen a lot of fish recipes that either have slaw or pickled onions, but I love them both, so they both go on my tacos. Plus, the cilantro, lime and avocado salsa. I love recipes that require layers of flavor,” says Vivi. ”These tacos are show-stoppers.”
Easy, Awesome Shrimp Tacos
These easy-to-make shrimp tacos are your guaranteed-to-please comida solution when you want to serve a hungry crowd fast. That’s why they’re a go-to weeknight dinner at the home of one of our favorite Mexican-food cocinera abuelas Anjie Villalobos of California. Plus, shrimp tacos are one of those meals that make people happy (unless someone has a seafood allergy, like one of her daughters,” says Anjie, joking, “It’s a travesty.”). Otherwise, you’re good to go, she promises: “Everybody loves shrimp tacos.”
Frida Kahlo’s Shrimp Tacos
These simple shrimp tacos were a favorite of the legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. As captured by Guadalupe Rivera, the daughter of Frida’s husband, the Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera, in her cookbook Frida’s Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo, this traditional taco recipe is quick to make and promises to heat up your taste buds, thanks to its use of serrano chiles.
Vegetarian Tacos de Papa & Rajas
Potato tacos or tacos de papa with rajas are a traditional go-to in Mexico when you want to make home-cooked, hearty, hot tacos for a large family or group of friends. Creamy-spicy-melty delicioso, these tacos are “basically mashed potatoes with poblano green chile rajas cut in strips,” says Anjie. “Roll them up and fry them and cover them with thinly sliced cabbage and slices of avocado, salsa, crema, whatever you like to top your tacos. When ready to serve, Anjie recommends accompanying these tacos with medium-heat avocado salsa or her family-famous guacamole.
(Almost) Vegan Taco Bowl
For those seeking a vegetarian take on Taco Tuesday, this is a tasty, soul-satisfying favorite sent in by holistic coach Veronica Giolli. Her taco bowl uses jackfruit (or yaca) and mushrooms instead of carne. ”It also means my family and I are still able to stay connected to our truth, our Mexican roots, and live a vital, healthy long life together,” says Veronica. If you want to go full vegan with this delicioso recipe, use olive oil instead of ghee and ditch the optional cheese garnish, she says.
What to Serve With Tacos
Choosing which salsa to trickle on which filling is one of the joys of Taco Tuesday. Yes, there are traditional pairings, but mixing it up is one way to play with taco tradition and freshen up our favorite flavors.
Salsa Verde
This is la salsa clásica and a Mexican taco essential. Salsa verde is the No. 1 family recipe of one of our go-to (and youngest) abuela cocineras, Anjie Villalobos. Its main ingredients are tomatillos and serrano chiles. This fragrant green salsa goes with just about everything, including literally every type of taco, we have found.
Green Salsa with Lemon & Cilantro
This tangy green salsa is made to pair with aguachiles, but we find it works deliciosamente with any kind of seafood taco. It adds a bright touch that refreshes and heightens the flavors.
Creamy Avocado & Serrano Chile Salsa
This creamy avocado, roasted tomatillos and serranos salsa is A+ on its own with tortilla chips and drizzled over just about everything, including your favorite tacos — any kind.
Red Salsa With Chile de Árbol for Smoke & Heat
This is the smoky, earthy red salsa to reach for when you want to kick your tacos up a notch. It has heat, yet it’s not burn-your-face-off hot. It is boldly flavored, yet it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of your plate. It tastes like smoky-blackened tomatoes, yet it’s light and flavorful. Its defining ingredient is fiery-red, tiny, dried chile de árbol. And it’s a winner.
Vivi’s Red Jalapeño Salsa Molcajete
Making this salsa is a calming Sunday ritual for Vivi Abeja, one of our favorite Mexican cooks. ”When I have a little extra time and I am able to be very intentional with the way that I make this salsa roja, I use the molcajete,” she says. ”I love it. It makes me so happy.” Best of all, says Vivi, she can whip up a batch in less than 10 minutes with ingredients she always has in her kitchen: tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro, limes.
Anjie’s Red Salsa with Serranos
This red salsa with serrano chiles is another one of California homecook Anjie Villalobos’ go-to salsa recipes. Almost always stocked in her fridge, it’s one of her family’s favorite toppers for their two taco go-tos: carne asada tacos and garlicky shrimp tacos.
Pico de Gallo
This pico has just cuatro ingredients, each an essential member of Mexican food’s fab four: Tomato, onion, cilantro, lime. Chunky and light, its adds lots of texture and flavor. We love it with salty tortilla chips and as a garnish on most Mexican dishes, including tacos. Best of all, it comes together in less than 5 minutes.
Barb’s Salsa Macha
If you haven’t yet tried salsa macha, this Mexican condiment nickamed ”black gold” is the Latino version of Asian chile oil. It’s made with vegetable or olive oil, ground chiles, seeds and nuts. Dark, heavy and silty, it has a spectacular color: Scorched ruby-black, with glints of chile, seeds, and dried spices. An early version of salsa macha was likely being made long before the conquistadores showed up, and today, it still transforms eggs and your favorite Mexican dishes, promises Chicago’s Barbara Engelskirchen, who sent us her recipe. Try a hint of it on a carne asada taco.
Anjie’s Family-Famous Guacamole
This is el famoso guacamole that one of our go-to Mexican-food cocineras Anjie Villalobos brings to every get-together and regularly makes for herself at least once a week(she is its biggest fan, she admits). Ever the recipe tinkerer, Anjie experimented with the shortlist of ingredients — avocado, chile, tomato, onion, lime, cilantro — until she arrived at the version that hits all her favorite flavor profiles (including extra lime). It has since become her family’s official guacamole.
Gollita’s Essential Guacamole
You would expect a great guacamole from Gollita González, a tremenda cocinera of traditional Mexican dishes. And you would be right. Gollita’s guacamole is a hit at every family and friends gathering at her Illinois home. And it’s the crowd-sourced winner of Familia Kitchen’s recipe contest competition. Check out Gollita’s No. 1 recipe!
5 Reasons to Make Your Own Corn Tortillas
(It’s Easier Than You Think!)
You may believe that tortillas are hard to make from scratch. (Confession: We used to too and, boy, were we wrong.) We’ve since been schooled. Fresh corn tortillas are shockingly easy to make, press, and put into service within the hour. Also, corn tortillas need just 3 ingredients: Masa harina, water, and salt). The extra effort is so worth it: You can really taste the DIY difference. P.S. If you prefer flour tortillas, here’s when to use them, according to tradition.
Going handmade is worth your time for true taco greatness. Here are 5 reasons why.
Fresh-made corn tortillas:
1) Are thicker and more chewy-delicioso,
2) Hold taco toppings and/or sop up your salsas much better,
3) Taste like real corn and make your taco more authentic,
4) Have a coarse texture, which adds an earthy flavor to your taco eating experience, and
5) Cost less.
Below are photos with highlights of the tortilla-making process. For step-by-step instructions, one of our favorite Mexican homecooks, Anjie Villalobos of California, offers a master class in corn tortilla making. And if you want to go ancient-level deep into DIY tortillas, Familia Kitchen community member Adrian Ruddock shows us how she hand-grinds her own tortillas with heirloom masa harina and a stone tool called a metate. 🌮❤️
Find more Taco Tuesday and traditional abuela-cooking recipes at FamiliaKitchen.com!
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