Steak and Tomatillo Verde Tacos

Name: Easy Street Tacos Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 700g skirt steak or flank steak; 3 tablespoons olive oil; Juice of 2 limes; Juice of 1 orange; 4 cloves garlic, finely grated; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon chili flakes; 1 teaspoon coarse salt; Large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped; 3 tomatillos, finely diced; ½ white onion, finely diced; 1 jalapeño, finely diced (seeds removed for less heat); Large handful fresh cilantro, chopped; Juice of 1 lime; Pinch of salt; 12 small corn tortillas; 1 white onion, finely diced; Large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped; 2 limes, cut into wedges; Sliced jalapeño; Sour cream or Mexican crema (optional); Hot sauce (optional)

May 21, 2026|HALO

Marinated carne asada, a screaming hot flat top, corn tortillas, fresh tomatillo salsa, and a squeeze of lime. This is the street taco recipe worth making.

Easy Street Tacos Recipe

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

Mexican

Author:

HALO

Servings

12 tacos

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Here's this delicious street taco recipe made for an outdoor flat top griddle. Marinated carne asada, charred tortillas, fresh tomatillo salsa verde, and everything that makes a taco worth talking about!

Cook Mode

Ingredients

Carne Asada

700g skirt steak or flank steak
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 orange
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa Verde

3 tomatillos, finely diced
½ white onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, finely diced (seeds removed for less heat)
Large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of salt

Toppings

12 small corn tortillas
1 white onion, finely diced
Large handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 limes, cut into wedges
Sliced jalapeño
Sour cream or Mexican crema (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)

Directions

Combine olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, grated garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, chili flakes, salt, and chopped cilantro in a bowl or zip-lock bag. Add the steak and turn to coat completely. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours (overnight is better). The citrus acid tenderizes the meat while the spices penetrate deeper over time.
While the steak marinates, make the fresh salsa. Combine diced tomatoes, white onion, jalapeño, and cilantro in a bowl. Add lime juice and salt. Stir and taste. You can adjust salt and lime until it's bright and sharp. Set aside at room temperature. The salsa improves as it sits and the flavors come together.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before cooking. Pat the surface dry with paper towels. Try to remove as much surface moisture as possible. Dry meat sears. Wet meat steams. This step matters.
Heat your Elite Griddle to maximum temperature on the primary cooking zone. You want the steel as hot as it will go. Add a thin film of oil and allow it to just begin smoking before the steak goes on.
Place the steak on the high heat zone. Do not move it for 3–4 minutes. You want a deep, dark crust forming on the contact side, this is where the flavor lives. Flip once. Cook for another 2-3 minutes for medium. Skirt and flank steak are best served at medium to medium-rare. Cooking beyond that toughens the grain.
Remove the steak and rest on a board for 5-8 minutes. Do not skip this rest time. Cutting too early loses the juices onto the board instead of keeping them in the meat.
While the steak rests, warm the tortillas directly on a medium zone of the griddle. Give 30-45 seconds per side until they develop light char spots and become pliable. Keep warm in a folded kitchen towel until ready to serve.
Slice the rested steak against the grain into thin strips. Cutting against the grain shortens the muscle fibers and is what makes skirt and flank steak tender rather than chewy. Then dice roughly into small, taco-sized pieces.
Build the tacos: two corn tortillas stacked per taco for structural support. A generous pile of carne asada. Fresh salsa spooned over the top. Diced white onion and fresh cilantro. A squeeze of lime directly over the whole thing. Hot sauce on the side.
Serve immediately while the steak is still warm and the tortillas are fresh from the griddle. These do not wait.

Recipe Video

Recipe Note

Skirt steak is the traditional choice for carne asada. It has more fat marbling and more flavor than flank steak. If your butcher has both, go skirt.
Two tortillas per taco is the street taco standard. One tortilla isn't structurally sufficient for a proper filling and will split at the worst possible moment.
The marinade does real work here try not to shortcut the time. Two hours minimum. Overnight maximum. Beyond 24 hours and the citrus starts to break down the texture of the meat.
Cutting against the grain is non-negotiable with skirt or flank steak. Look for the direction the muscle fibers run and cut perpendicular to them.
This recipe is designed for the outdoor griddle because the flat top produces a crust on the steak that a standard grill grate can't. Having full contact between the meat and the steel is what creates the flavor.
Watch Tom Judkins make this exact recipe below!