Make your next taco night a little more glam with this fresh and easy carne asada and fresh salsa recipe. I make this salsa for my family every year at Christmas and they practically fall over each other to get to it. Clearly you can make this year-round so think summer grilling when you imagine carne asada with fresh salsa and homemade tortillas! And who needs store-bought salsa when you can make your own that tastes much better? This whole meal is from-scratch; homemade tortillas, a custom carne asada spice blend, and fresh-made salsa. What better way to upgrade your taco night? Let’s get cookin’!

The marinade for the carne asada is the first step; 30 minutes or longer (if possible) is essential to infuse the steak with flavor. A fundamental advantage to a homemade spice rub is that you control 100% of the flavor. I am all for a homemade spice rub and I usually try to make a little extra and save it for later, stored in an airtight container. A homemade spice rub is going to make a difference. Most of us will have these spices in our spice drawer; the only “specialty” items might be the tajin spice and Mexican oregano. Use regular oregano in a pinch but get yourself a little tajin; you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what a dash or two can add to your breakfast eggs or on top of avocado toast.

Ok, on to the salsa roja. You can grab fresh salsa at the grocery store, but making your own is quite simple. Roasting the veggies will add amazing flavor to this salsa roja, a kind of smokiness that will add wonderful depth. I like to have some heat in my salsa so I’m using two jalapeños in this recipe. You can modify it as needed for your own tastes, but fresh jalapeño in this fresh salsa served over the top of our beautiful steak will positively sing on the tastebuds. All the salsa ingredients are blended together (an immersion blender is my favorite but you can use a standard blender) and then set aside to give those beautiful flavors time to become friends.

Once again, you can buy tortillas at the grocery store but a fresh corn tortilla is a whole different experience. I’d say the biggest difference is in the texture of the tortillas, something you’ll notice almost immediately. Two ingredients, that’s it! Masa harina and warm water, maybe a pinch of salt. The dough will come together after a few minutes of kneading. I’ll divide these into about 12 evenly-sized pieces and then roll them into a ball. A tortilla press will make these a little bit faster but you can also use a rolling pin to shape the tortillas. Each tortilla is toasted quickly in a pan and then set to rest under a damp towel to await its final presentation.

The star of the show is the meat and a beautifully grilled steak – carne asada – is now centerstage. The meat doesn’t take long to cook, just a few minutes on a hot grill or skillet, and then a few minutes to rest – and the rest time is essential. Slicing into the meat too soon will release the juices that keep the meat so tender; a few minutes to rest on a cutting board will give those juices the time to draw back into the meat and ensure a beautiful finishing cook. Cook your steak to your desired doneness but I do prefer a medium-rare on my carne asada. Then, I’ll either slice on the slant to carve beautiful strips of this tender meat or dice into more bite-sized pieces. Are you drooling yet?!

Now we put it all together! A fresh tortilla, still just warm from under the kitchen towel, the carne asada, and a dollop of fresh salsa roja, with cotija cheese and cilantro to garnish. Three words: colorful, flavorful, fresh, and easy. And that’s really been the theme of this whole meal: fresh and easy. From the tortillas to the spice rub to the salsa roja, each is made from scratch in a way that is simple and accessible. You will taste the difference. If you think all of this from scratch sounds intimidating, I’m gonna say, just give it a try. If you pace and prepare each dish in a timely fashion, it really isn’t that much more time-consuming, and the end result is an absolutely beautiful meal.

This recipe is featured in our online cooking class, Taco Tuesday Online Cooking Class.

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