These tacos feature well-seasoned beef, corn tortillas, surprisingly delicious caramelized onions, and a couple of green things, and they cook up fast enough to impress your friends and still have time to ski after lunch.
Tender sirloin tips, coulotte, skirt steak, hanger, flank, or any tender beef cut in strips across the grain will do the trick. Freeze the meat halfway to make it super easy to slice.
Season the beef with a taco seasoning that you like, or your own mix of spices. Cumin, onion powder, oregano, paprika, chili… or lemon zest, salt and pepper… or whatever hits the spot.
We use whatever salsa we happen to have in the fridge–sometimes that’s homemade peach salsa and sometimes it’s a chopped-up tomato–and our fallback is Salsa Lizano, because where there are Ticos, there is Lizano.
Slice the beef across the grain (Serious Eats explains how to do this well), arrange on a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet, and blot those babies dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the taco seasoning, flipping over to hit both sides. Leave the beef strips to air dry while you get the onions going.
Peel the onions and cut each in half from stem to blossom end. Place the cut sides on the cutting board for stability, then slice across each half to create thin, c-shaped slices.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. As soon as the oil is hot (it will shimmer), add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook the onions a couple of minutes, just until they begin to brown. Lower the heat to almost the lowest setting and stir in the baking soda. Cook the onions slowly for about 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until they are soft and juicy. While the onions cook, get the meat going.
Heat a second large frying pan over medium-high heat and add in another 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, arrange the beef strips in the pan, leaving a little bit of space around each piece so they fry instead of steaming. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until each piece is a deep, gorgeous brown. When the beef is seared, it will release easily from the pan. You'll probably need to do this in two batches.
While the meat cooks, you can thinly slice the green onions, chop the cilantro leaves and stems, and roughly chop the avocado into little bowls to have ready for taco-makin'.
When the beef is seared on both sides, taste a piece because you are a good chef and you want to make sure you're serving your friends and family the finest deliciousness. Add salt if it needs a little. Remove the beef to a warmed plate and turn the pan down to medium heat.
Check the onions, which are probably done by now, turn off the heat, and remove them to a warmed bowl.
Fit 3 or 4 tortillas in the pan you used to cook the beef, heat just until beginning to brown, then flip and do the other sides. Stack on a warm plate as you warm up the rest of the tortillas.
Arrange bowls of meat, onions, and green stuff, add a little bit of each to a tortilla, top with Salsa Lizano or whatever, and chow down.
Ingredients
Directions
Slice the beef across the grain (Serious Eats explains how to do this well), arrange on a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet, and blot those babies dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the taco seasoning, flipping over to hit both sides. Leave the beef strips to air dry while you get the onions going.
Peel the onions and cut each in half from stem to blossom end. Place the cut sides on the cutting board for stability, then slice across each half to create thin, c-shaped slices.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. As soon as the oil is hot (it will shimmer), add in the sliced onions. Stir and cook the onions a couple of minutes, just until they begin to brown. Lower the heat to almost the lowest setting and stir in the baking soda. Cook the onions slowly for about 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until they are soft and juicy. While the onions cook, get the meat going.
Heat a second large frying pan over medium-high heat and add in another 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, arrange the beef strips in the pan, leaving a little bit of space around each piece so they fry instead of steaming. Cook 1-2 minutes on each side, until each piece is a deep, gorgeous brown. When the beef is seared, it will release easily from the pan. You'll probably need to do this in two batches.
While the meat cooks, you can thinly slice the green onions, chop the cilantro leaves and stems, and roughly chop the avocado into little bowls to have ready for taco-makin'.
When the beef is seared on both sides, taste a piece because you are a good chef and you want to make sure you're serving your friends and family the finest deliciousness. Add salt if it needs a little. Remove the beef to a warmed plate and turn the pan down to medium heat.
Check the onions, which are probably done by now, turn off the heat, and remove them to a warmed bowl.
Fit 3 or 4 tortillas in the pan you used to cook the beef, heat just until beginning to brown, then flip and do the other sides. Stack on a warm plate as you warm up the rest of the tortillas.
Arrange bowls of meat, onions, and green stuff, add a little bit of each to a tortilla, top with Salsa Lizano or whatever, and chow down.