Recipe Background
California Street Tacos celebrate post-driving test freedom—packed with flavorful steak and buttery tortillas.
The first time I made these California Street Tacos was a vivid afternoon after passing my driving test. I felt this surge of independence that I wanted to celebrate in style. Grabbing some flank steak from the local butcher was exhilarating—a step towards adulthood. I decided to slice and chop it into small pieces, inspired by a taco truck I often passed by on my driving lessons. The thinly sliced steak coupled with the crisp bite-size chunks seemed just perfect for taco night at home.
In my family, tacos meant more than dinner; they represented a creative canvas. I remembered the times young me would add a sprinkle of cotija cheese to everything, much to my mom's mock horror. This time, I would do it right. As the steak sizzled in vegetable oil, the aroma began filling my tiny kitchen. I finely chopped onions, half of which joined the steak until they turned soft and caramelized. The scent of lime juice drifted through, creating that tangy aroma that I loved.
Not forgetting a sneaky chef’s tip: letting those corn tortillas soak in melted butter before a quick fry. They came out soft yet perfectly sturdy enough to hold my steak delight, piled up on double shells for that extra oomph. A sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a crumble of cotija cheese crowned each creation. Sitting down at the kitchen table that doubled as my little studio, I took a triumphant bite while glancing at my new driver’s license. Every bite tasted like freedom.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 pounds flank steak thinly sliced then chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 onion chopped, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 stick butter
- 24 mini corn tortillas
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped, for serving
- cotija cheese to taste, crumbled, for serving
Directions
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the oil.
- Add the steak pieces to the heated oil and cook until they start to brown.
- Add 1/2 of the chopped onions to the steak pieces and cook until the onions are soft.
- Season the steak-onion mixture with the salt and the pepper.
- Drizzle the lime juice over the steak-onion mixture and cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 135 degrees F for medium-rare doneness.
- In a second skillet, melt the butter.
- Add the corn tortillas, in batches, to the melted butter and fry until they are soft, about 1 minute.
- On four serving plates, lay out 3 of the fried tortillas, then layer each one with 1 additional fried tortilla to make a total of 12 double-shelled tacos.
- Spoon equal amounts of the steak mixture onto each of the double-shelled tacos.
- Serve the tacos topped with the remaining chopped onions, the cilantro, and the cheese.
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