There’s a reason why everyone loves Taco Tuesday- it’s fun, festive and flavorful!
Today, we’re taking it outside to the grill. We grilled three meats, all with a different marinade so that you can mix and match or choose your favorite:
Flank Steak
You might be used to ground beef in your tacos, but upgrading to flank steak is a welcome change. Flank steak is known to be a tougher cut of beef, which is why the marinating it is so important:
Total Time: 3hrs. 30 min.
Serves: 6-8
- 2 lbs. flank steak
- Juice of 1 orange (about 4 Tbsp.)
- Juice of 2 limes (about 4 Tbsp.)
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions: In a mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients excluding the steak. Place steak in a gallon size resealable bag and pour marinade over top. Seal the bag and toss gently to coat well. Marinate for ~3 hours in fridge, bringing to room temp before grilling. Pre-heat grill and grill meat. Grill steak on med high heat to desired doneness (hint- a little char is good!). For a medium steak, grill for about 6 minutes, flip and grill for another 5 minutes or until an internal temperature of 145° is reached. Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice the meat across the grain for maximum tenderness.
Fish
Light and flavorful fish tacos are truly a summertime treat. We used tilapia in our recipe, but Mahi-Mahi or cod would work well too!
Total Time: 30 min.
Serves: 6
- 1 lb. tilapia fillets
- 4 Tbsp. canola oil
- Juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp.)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground paprika
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
Instructions: In a mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients excluding the fish. Place fish into a gallon size resealable bag and pour marinade over fish. Seal bag and toss gently to coat. Allow fish to marinate in mixture for 20-30 minutes (and no longer than 1 hour). Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush grill grates with oil and place fish on grill. Grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side or until an internal temperature of 145°F is reached. Transfer to a plate and flake with a fork into bite-sized pieces.
Chicken
This spicy chicken recipe tastes best if you let it marinade overnight, but if you’re in a pinch, three hours will do:
Total Time: 25 hours
Serves: 4-5
- 1 lb. chicken thighs or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- Marinade
- 4 Tbsp. orange juice
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime (about 2 Tbsp.)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ Tbsp. chipotle chili powder
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika powder
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- Black pepper
In a mixing bowl whisk together all ingredients excluding the chicken. Place chicken in a gallon size resealable bag and pour marinade over top. Seal the bag and toss gently to coat well.Place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 3, or up to 24 hours. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill for ~8 minutes per side, or until an internal temperature of 165°F is reached. Transfer to plate and shred with a fork before serving.
Topping Time
Now comes the fun part! Set out a variety of colorful toppings for everyone to choose from. We used shredded romaine lettuce, diced tomato, onion, and avocado, fresh jalapeno slices, lime wedges, salsa verde and sour cream. As for everyone’s favorite topping – cheese, we picked queso fresco and Monterey jack. For your tacos’ base, you can use either corn or flour tortillas. For an extra special touch, butter and grill them for ~2 minutes on each side before serving.
Have a great Taco Tuesday!