Carne Asada Tacos with Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa and Guajillo Hot Sauce

I love street tacos. The truck-turned-taco-stand that drives up onto the beach, the greasy little street carts or outdoor huts or really anywhere in Mexico (and beyond) selling these.

Usually priced at $1 each, I think they taste even better eaten standing up and with a cold Tecate.

My favorite place to go in Mexico for it's proximity and price is Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) and I eat lots of these when I'm down there.

I'll focus on the recipe, but let me take a little detour here to introduce my darling friend Melanie and her travel blog Leave Your Watch. Take a peek - she goes into much more detail about Rocky Point and beyond. Feliz Viaje!

Back to the tacos. I used flour tortillas here because at the grocery store today they were making them fresh and I couldn't resist. Typically I would go traditional and use corn. Double wrapping the tortillas can help prevent breakage.

I can't get enough of the creamy avocado salsa that is typically served with the tacos, so I improvised a recipe. I also made my own hot sauce with dried guajillo chilis and it's very hot, but delicious.

Here are links to some other recipes for carne asada.
A narrative recipe for a Carne Asada feast from Immaeatchu
The Guilty Carnivore's recipe for creating an at-home taqueria
Elise's beautiful carne asada recipe from Simply Recipes

Carne Asada Street Tacos:
(makes about 12 tacos, depending on size of tortillas and how much you fill them)
1 lb eye of round or top round beef
2 dozen small corn tortillas (or flour, although corn is traditional)
Chopped onion
Chopped cilantro
Limes
Chili powder
Salt & Pepper
Cumin

Directions:
Chop beef into small strips or cubes. Toss with juice of 3-4 limes and other seasonings and let sit (can do way ahead for best flavor).

Using a grill pan (or a griddle or saute pan if you don't have one), grill meat over high heat just until done. Meanwhile, lay tortillas over grill to heat through. Serve tacos by placing the beef on the tortilla, topping with cilantro and onion and salsas to taste. Squeeze a lime over the taco just before eating.


Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa:

3 tomatillos, grilled or roasted whole
2 whole serrano chili peppers
2 avocados
Salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic
2 tbs chopped onion
2 tbs chopped cilantro

Directions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Makes about 2 cups.

Guajillo Hot Sauce:

5-6 whole dried guajillo chilis (seeds dumped if you are worried about heat)
1 c hot water
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt
1/4 c vinegar
2 tbs chopped onion

Directions:
Blend all ingredients until liquified. Serve. Warning - this is HOT sauce. Makes about 1.5 cups.