Carne Asada Tacos are a classic street tacos recipe made with juicy grilled flank steak marinated in fresh citrus juice, spices, and onions. Serve with lots of garnishes and your favorite salsa.
You are looking at the meal I cook when I want to make my husband happy. These carne asada tacos are his absolute favorite. Actually everyone I know loves them too.
By no means am I reinventing the wheel here. This is a classic recipe for a delicious marinade loosely based off the carne asada seasoning from my local Mexican market that I put on basically everything.
The one thing I do that makes the beef super tender is give them a long rest with lots of thinly sliced onions. It works best if you let them refrigerate together overnight, but at least 2 hours is a must. The onion slices contain proteolytic enzymes which breaks down the tough fibers in the steak. If you combine salt with onions it works even better.
The next day you can grill the meat with the onions that are still attached or brush them off and throw them away. I like to grill with onions on. Most of them fall through the grates of the grill but they give the beef even more flavor.
Here’s how to make these delicious carne asada tacos!
Ingredients
- Flank steak or skirt steak
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
- Bay leaves
- White onion
- Orange juice
- Fresh lime juice
- Fresh cilantro
- Parsley
- FOR GARNISHES AND SERVING
- Corn tortillas or flour tortillas
- Spring onions
- Avocado or guacamole
- Chopped cilantro
- Minced onion. You don’t need to have both kinds of onion, but we are an onion-loving family.
- Radishes
- Limes
- Salsa
- Sweet corn (optional)
- Other toppings could include: pickled chilis, cotija cheese, queso fresco, or sour cream
How To Make Them
step one
Mix the marinade. In a large glass container or bowl that is big enough to hold the steak, combine the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, sugar, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, bay leaves, onion slices, orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, and parsley. I toss everything with my hands, it’s easier that way.
step two
Pound the steak. Place steak on a non-wood surface and cover with a piece of plastic warp. Pound steak with a meat mallet, hammer, or a heavy cast iron skillet until it is an even 1/2-inch thick.
step three
Marinate overnight. Place steak in the dish with the marinade and rub the marinade into the meat with your hands. Sandwich between a layer of onions, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but best overnight.
step four
Light the grill. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while you light the grill. Heat the gas or charcoal grill to medium to medium-high heat. Trim the spring onions and lay them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Warm the tortillas and prepare the remaining garnishes.
step five
Grill the onions and corn. Clean the grill grate then place the spring onions and corn (if serving) on the grill. For the sweet corn I just lay it on the grill with the husk and all. Grill the onions and corn for about 10 minutes or until lightly charred on the outside. Push to one side of the grill to keep warm.
step six
Grill the carne asada. Clean the grates of the grill again then place the steak on the grill. Let cook, undisturbed until the bottom has nice grill marks and is cooked about halfway through, about 5-8 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. How long this takes will depend on how you like your meat cooked and how hot your grill is, just try to not move it around too much.
step seven
Slice. Let the meat sit about 5 minutes before slicing. Cut the meat against the grain (these lines are easily visible in flank steak) and then cut into bite-sized pieces. Slice the spring onions.
step eight
Serve. Remove the husks and silk from the grilled corn and slice into 3 pieces each. Serve the meat, onions, and corn with warm tortillas and all the garnishes.
What To Serve With the Carne Asada Tacos
- Refried beans
- Calabacitas {Cheesy Mexican Zucchini}
- Homemade corn tortillas
- Crock Pot Borracho Beans
More Taco Recipes To Try!
- Grilled Fish Tacos with Sweet Corn Salsa
- Instant Pot Pork Carnitas Tacos
- Steak Fajita Tacos
- Citrus-Marinated Chicken Fajitas
- Baja Fish Tacos with Radish Pico de Gallo
- Cochinita Pibil Tacos
- Beer-Braised Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Make Carne Asada Street Tacos At Home!
Simple, delicious, straight-up taco magic. I hope you give it a try! Let me know when you make them by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Carne Asada Tacos
Carne Asada Tacos are a classic street tacos recipe made with juicy grilled flank steak marinated in fresh citrus juice, spices, and onions. Serve with lots of garnishes and your favorite salsa
Ingredients
- Juice of 2 oranges
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems minced
- 1 small bunch Italian parsley, leaves and tender stems minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the spring onions
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the spring onions
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 pounds flank or skirt steak
To Serve
- 2 bunches spring onions
- 12 warm corn tortillas
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 white onion, minced
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 3 large radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 3 ears of sweet corn in their husks (optional)
- Your favorite salsa
Instructions
- Combine marinade. In a large glass container big enough to hold the meat, mix together the orange juice, lime juice, sliced onion, minced cilantro and parsley, olive oil, 3 teaspoons salt, smoked paprika, sugar, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and bay leaves.
- Pound steak. Lay steak on a non-wood surface (like a plastic cutting board) and cover with plastic wrap. Beat steak with a meat mallet or hammer until it is 1/2-inch even thickness.
- Marinate meat. Place meat in the onion mixture and massage mixture into the meat. Sandwich between two layers of onions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but best overnight.
- Heat grill. Remove the beef from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature while you heat the grill. Light a gas or charcoal grill and heat to medium-high heat. Trim the spring onions and lay on a baking sheet drizzle a little olive oil over the onions and season with salt and pepper. Warm the tortillas and prepare the remaining garnishes while you wait for the grill to heat.
- Grill onions and corn. Lay spring onions and corn in its husks (if using) on the grill. Cook for about 10 minutes or until lightly charred, turning occasionally. Push to the side away from the heat to keep warm. Clean the grill grate.
- Grill steak. Lift the beef from the marinade and either leave the onions that are sticking to the meat on or brush them off, either way is fine. Lay the meat on the grill, close the lid and let cook, undisturbed until the meat is lightly charred on the edge and has formed grill marks, about 5-8 minutes. Flip, close the lid again and cook another 5-8 minutes depending on how done you like your steak and how hot the grill is. Use a meat thermometer if you're unsure how to test by feel. For carne asada we like it medium which is about 140°F-150°F.
- Slice. Remove onions, corn, and steak from the grill and let beef rest about 5 minutes before slicing. While you wait for the meat to rest, slice the onions and remove the husks and silk from the corn and cut each ear into 3 pieces. Slice the steak against the grain (these lines are easy to see in a flank steak), then cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Serve. Serve meat, onions, and corn with warm tortillas and all the garnishes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 528Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 366mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 42g
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