This Carne Asada Torta is truly incredible: roasted poblano salsa swaps in for the traditional beans making it lighter than a traditional torta— but just as delicious.
what is a mexican torta?
A Torta de Carne Asada in simple terms, is a steak sandwich, but a Mexican steak sandwich is something truly special.
Authentic tortas de carne asada typically includes:
- a soft and airy bolillo or telera roll
- thinly sliced grilled steak
- refried beans
- mashed avocado sprinkled with salt and pepper
- a creamy cheese like queso fresco
- fresh vegetables like a juicy tomato sliced into thick pieces or shredded crunchy lettuce or both!
This is absolutely a phenomenal torta recipe and when I’m in the mood for some serious tortas: like an entire meal tucked in a toasted roll, then I head to one of our favorite torta shops in L.A.
But when I want a torta carne asada fix at home, I tend to make something a bit lighter, with my favorite store-bought Roasted Poblano Salsa instead of the refried beans and no cheese (because Armando can’t eat that).
how to make tortas de carne asada (my version)
My asada torta puts the spotlight on the marinated juicy steak and the fresh, ripe tomatoes and avocado.
The secret to this delicious sandwich is two-fold: A delicious orange juice marinade and cooking the steak on the grill to get those incredible charred edges.
That being said, if you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can still make a fantastic steak sandwich either in a grill pan or by first searing the steak, then finishing in a hot oven.
If you want to try pan-frying your steak instead of grilling it, follow this recipe after you marinate the meat instead of cooking on the grill.
To make things easy, I use store-bought Herdez Roasted Poblano Salsa Cremosa instead of the traditional refried beans or even mayo on my sandwich.
I’m not getting paid to say I love it, I just really do. It adds a great roasted chile flavor and a creaminess—without any dairy.
If you want to make a salsa instead of buy it, my Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa would be a great swap. It’s not exactly the same, but would be equally good.
more torta recipes to try
A great Mexican sandwich is what dreams are made of.
Visit any torta shop and you’ll soon find that there’s a torta for every occasion. Here’s a few more recipe you can start making right now, at home!
- Mexican Torta with Turkey and Black Beans
- Coconut Shrimp Tortas
- Chicken Chile Verde Tortas with Goat Cheese
- Fried Plantain Cemita Sliders
This Insanely Delicious Sandwich? Who, me?
You know this beautiful creation caught your eye! So just try this Carne Asada Tortas recipe, and let me know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so that I can see your stuff! Happy eating!
Carne Asada Torta
If we could put summer between two pieces of bread this would be it! Toasted crusty bread, grilled steak, tomatoes, and roasted poblano salsa.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: sandwiches
- Method: grill
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Low Lactose
Ingredients
For the steak:
1 pound skirt steak
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
For the tortas:
4 Bolillo rolls, sliced in half
1/2 cup Herdez Roasted Poblano Salsa Cremosa or homemade Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa
1 large or 2 small heirloom tomatoes, cut in thick slices
1 large or 2 medium ripe avocados
Instructions
Marinate the steak: Cover the skirt steak with a piece of plastic wrap and pound to about 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Combine olive oil, salt, pepper, orange juice, lime juice, and garlic in a baking dish. Add steak and turn to coat in marinade. Leave at room temperature while you heat the grill, at least 30 minutes or up to an hour, turning in the marinade occasionally.
Grill the steak: Heat a gas or charcoal grill over medium-high heat. Once grill is ready, clean the grill grates and douse a large wad of paper towels with oil. Grab the wad of paper towels with tongs and wipe the oil-soaked paper towel over the grill grates until they are coated in oil.
Remove the steak from the marinade with tongs, letting the excess marinade drip back into the dish. Place on the grill and cover with the lid. Let cook, undisturbed until a crust forms on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Turn steak and continue cooking, covered, until steak is done to your likeness, about 3-4 more minutes for medium-rare.
Remove steak to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Cut into thin strips.
Make the tortas: While the steak is resting, toast the bolillo halves on the grill. Place cut-side-down and watch carefully so they don’t burn.
Spread 1 tablespoon of Roasted Poblano Salsa on each bolillo half, divide tomato slices, between 4 bottom sides of the bolillo halves, divide avocado between the top halves, then mash to spread avocado into an even layer. Sprinkle avocado and tomato slices with salt and pepper. Divide steak slices among the tortas, cover with top half of the bolillos, cut each torta in half and serve!
Keywords: carne asada torta
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