The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with Lengua Taco: Mexico’s traditional tacos de lengua are loved for their flavour and tenderness. Beef tongue tacos always impress with their savoury, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Like me, you’ve probably daydreamed about taco trucks’ irresistible lengua tacos.
That perfect blend of tender meat and flavorful, refreshing toppings? Good news—you can recreate those delicious flavours in your own kitchen. The best part? They’re made in the time it takes to find that taco truck. Let’s make street-style tacos in your kitchen to satisfy that craving.
A Recipe Overview
- Prepare and Cook Time: 15 minutes prep, 15 minutes crisping meat
Stove top cooking - Dairy-free, gluten-free, and grain-free for paleo, Whole 30, and GAPS.
- Needed: sharp knife, cutting board, small bowl, large frying pan
- Easy skill
Reasons to love Cow Tongue Tacos
- Delicious organ meat tacos de lengua may be the start of your organ meat journey. It promotes “nose-to-tail” cooking perfectly.
- Diet-friendly—This simple recipe fits your lifestyle. Naturally dairy-free , it can be made grain-free.
- Serve it in corn tortillas or over lettuce like a salad.
- Unique flavour: Crispy beef tongue has a rich, savoury flavour. It’s a welcome change from ground beef taco meat.
- Prep all the ingredients and store them in containers in the fridge until serving.
Beef Tongue Taco Ingredients
- Make tacos de lengua with 7 simple ingredients. This simple recipe takes 30 minutes.
- Cooked beef tongue: Ox tongue, the dish’s star, is a unique and flavorful meat base. Best part? For that delicious texture, we’re cooking it in healthy fat until crispy.
- Toppers: An zesty mixture of white onion and cilantro, fresh radishes, and fiery jalapeno peppers give the best cow tongue tacos texture and flavour.
- Salsa Verde: A spoonful adds tang and flavour. It adds moisture and completes textures. Avoid thickeners and gums by reading the label.
- The shell that holds all the deliciousness is corn tortillas. Charring tortillas improves flavour and makes assembly easier.
- Lime wedges: Finish with a drizzle of fresh or bottled lime juice (check the label for 100% pure lime juice without sweeteners or preservatives).
Changes and Variations
- Switch to grain-free cassava flour tortillas (Siete brand is great) or a lettuce wrap to keep it low-carb. You can use sourdough flour tortillas.
- Crumble cotija cheese or shredded raw cheddar with sour cream are good dairy additions.
- Toppings—Pico de Gallo, pickled red onions, and diced roasted jalapeno peppers are easy ways to customise tacos. You can add creaminess to chunky guacamole.
- Taco seasoning or salt and pepper can be used to season tongue. That’s optional, but it’s a great way to flavour this cut of meat.
Make Ancestral
- Following ancestral and traditional dietary philosophy can maximise the nutrition in this recipe, staying true to Prepare and Nourish. Use these simple tips to make this recipe nutrient-dense.
- Use grass-fed beef tongue. Beef tongue is a delicacy, so buy the best your budget can afford. Local farmer’s markets are my favourite grass-fed beef source.
- If that’s unavailable, Wild Pastures and US Wellness Meats sell high-quality cow tongue.
- Healthy fat browns. Avoid rancid seed oils. Delicious tacos start with local pastured butter, beef tallow, or lard. Healthy oils like avocado or olive oil have a high smoke point.
- Wrap sprouted corn tortillas. They are gluten-free and sprouted, which may improve digestion and nutrient absorption. This concept is explained in Weston A. Price’s grains article.
Lengua Taco Recipe
For convenience, the recipe card below contains the full printable recipe. Complete these simple steps for best results.
Step 1. Brown meat
Get oil hot in a large stainless steel pan. Add beef tongue strips to hot oil. Leave on medium-high heat for a few minutes to brown the bottom.
Step 2. Set aside
To brown and crisp all beef tongue strips, flip and cook. Remove to a bowl and keep warm while making the toppings.
Step 3. Top with onions
Finely dice the onion and place in a small bowl. Chop cilantro finely and mix with onion.
Step 4. Prepare toppings.
Slice radishes and jalapenos thinly. Use tongs to grill corn tortillas on both sides. Wedge limes.
Step 5. Build beef tongue tacos.
Scoop crispy beef tongue meat into warm tortillas, then onion-cilantro mixture. Add radishes and salsa verde. Drizzle fresh lime juice and add jalapenos. Serve now.
Helpful Lengua Taco Tips
- Cattle tongue is easier to cut into uniform pieces when chilled. Before making street tacos, cook beef tongue the day before and chill it in the fridge.
- Make sure your skillet is hot over medium-high heat before browning the tongue pieces. Using a hot pan makes food crispy.
- Avoid steaming by using a large skillet and spreading out the meat.
- Corn tortillas should be warmed or charred over medium heat to make them pliable and slightly toasty.
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