Street food is a great way to understand a city. There’s usually no fancy seating area or frills, but the flavors more than make up for the lack of fine dining ambience. These Santa Monica Street Tacos are fresh, tangy, crunchy, and filled with strips of fajita beef. The cherry on the cake so to speak is the creamy, zesty sauce that goes on top. This citrus and herb sauce takes these tacos to a whole other level of delicious street food!
For the beef I like to use a cast iron skillet and I make sure it’s been preheated so that we get that wonderful sizzle.
You can add your onions in with the beef for a milder flavor or leave them out and add them raw when you put your tacos together. Both ways are very tasty.
But, let’s get back to that sauce. This topping is in the style of a cilantro lime crema sauce. But, since crema isn’t available everywhere this sauce uses ingredients most people have in their pantry and fridge. But, freshly-squeezed lime juice is a must here since it gives it so much flavor and adds a freshness that compliments the other ingredients so well. Some fresh cilantro here adds even more dimension.
You can pour it on your taco fillings or serve it as a dipping sauce on the side. Tacos can be casual, fun, tasty, and sometimes a bit messy (in the best way), but for extra stability you can always use 2 tortillas as well.
Assembling these tacos at home is fun, too. I added some guacamole to mine but the toppings are at your discretion. You might go for some chili sauce, some queso fresco, or some sliced jalapeño.
Some shredded red cabbage is the norm for this style of taco and adds a lovely crunch and color to this meal.
For a fresh, flavorful, and protein-filled meal these Santa Monica Street Tacos hit the spot like nothing else can.
Santa Monica Street Tacos
Diet: Gluten-Free
For the tacos:
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 lb skirt or flank steak, trimmed of fat and sliced into thin strips
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6-8 (six inch) white corn tortillas, warm
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- juice of 2 limes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion and reduce to medium. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Or leave onion out and add it raw while assembling tacos.
- While beef cooks combine sauce ingredients in food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Add beef to warm tortilla along with some cilantro, and cabbage. Top with sauce and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Wishes and Dishes.