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MELISSA CLARK
NYT Syndicate
It's not the warm tortilla or the tender filling that makes a taco for me ” it's the condiments. The main protein almost doesn't matter, be it fish or beef or chicken. As long as there are several kinds of salsas and hot sauces, alongside the lime wedges, sliced radishes and chopped onions available at the taco truck, you'll find me happily dabbing, squeezing and layering before taking a bite.
At home, though, your choice of taco condiments is usually more limited. How many salsas are you willing to make?
Your best move, then, is to make a well-considered salsa that works with the protein at hand, and to put out a crisp vegetable or two as a counterpart to the soft filling in the warm tortillas.
In this summery recipe, grilled skirt steaks, marinated with garlic, coriander, cumin, chile powder and lime zest, serve as the protein. The longer you let the meat sit in the seasonings, the more intense the flavours will become. Marinating overnight is best, if you can plan ahead, but just an hour or so makes a difference.
Even if you don't get around to putting it into tacos, the steak itself is flavourful enough to stand alone. Serve it with a salad, and enjoy its beefy simplicity.
That said, the salsa is worth the effort, and you can make it as the meat marinates.
To make it, first grill the onion, garlic and a jalape?±o. This caramelises their flesh, making them tender and sweet. Then, add another jalape?±o ” this one raw ” and a squirt of lime juice for bracing, fiery notes that you can adjust to taste. The jalape?±o seeds will make everything spicier; adding more or less lime juice controls the acidity.
For a bit of richness, I add avocado cubes to the salsa bowl. It's not a common move; usually, if they are paired with tacos, avocados are mashed into guacamole or neatly sliced on the side. But their gentle flavour and buttery texture work well here. Be sure to stir gently after adding them: You want them to remain little velvety pillows until you bite in.
Once you've got the meat, salsa and tortillas, you can garnish your tacos with any crisp vegetables on hand. I love radishes, but pickled carrot rounds, sliced onions or shredded cabbage are welcome. Then mix it all up, and garnish to your heart's content.
Grilled Steak Tacos With Cherry Tomato-Avocado Salsa
YIELD: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
For The Steak:
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoons New Mexican or other mild chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced
Finely grated zest of 1 lime (cut lime into wedges for serving)
2 1/2 pounds skirt steak (usually 2 steaks)
For The Salsa:
1 white onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch-thick slices
2 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 jalape?±os
1 quart cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, more to taste
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
Corn or flour tortillas, for serving
Sliced radishes, for serving
Mexican crema or sour cream, for serving (optional)
PREPARATION:
1. Prepare the steak: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, chile powder, coriander, cumin, garlic and lime zest. Rub mixture all over the steaks, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
2. Prepare the salsa: Light the grill or heat to medium-high (or heat the broiler). Grill onion, garlic and 1 jalape?±o until tender and charred on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes (or place on a broiler pan and broil). Remove from heat until cool enough to handle, then roughly chop onions, peel garlic and remove seeds and stem from jalape?±o.
3. Transfer grilled onion, garlic and jalape?±o to a blender or mini food processor. Halve the fresh jalape?±o and seed it, if desired, then add it to the blender. Process to a chunky paste. Scrape into a serving bowl and toss with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, lime juice and salt.
4. Add more charcoal to the grill, if needed, and grill the steaks until done to taste, about 2 minutes per side for rare (or broil). Let meat rest on a cutting board covered with foil for at least 7 minutes. Meanwhile, grill or broil the tortillas until warm.
5. To serve, slice the meat across the grain, and serve with the warm tortillas, radishes, lime wedges, salsa and crema. Let people assemble their own tacos at the table.
