It’s hard to pin down what is great about a great taco. Is it the succulent, smoky carne asada? The tender, charred handmade tortilla? The sweet, ripe, spicy brightness of pico de gallo? More likely it’s the way all those things come together.
You can find such taco greatness at restaurants, corner taquerias and taco trucks with cult followings. But the best tacos in the world might come out of your own kitchen.
Imagine a warm corn tortilla filled with thinly sliced, pan-seared duck breast, tomatillo sauce and a cherry-chile compote. Or grilled lamb sausage with watercress and harissa. Or achiote-marinated yellowtail with shredded cabbage and chipotle mayonnaise.
Leave classics like tacos de barbacoa, carnitas and al pastor to your favorite neighborhood taco stand. When you’re inventing them at home, you can let your imagination take the wheel.
A terrific taco is about mouth-feel as well as flavor. There are no set rules about what goes into a taco; they’re more about improvisation, maybe a happy accident, some smart calibration. A hot rush of habanero chiles, then a cool tempering of creme fraiche or watermelon salsa. The rich succulence of leftover wine-braised short ribs, then a bright, fresh celery-leaf salsa. A little crunch, a little heat, a sudden burst of flavor. A well-orchestrated taco should seem like a sudden inspiration of flavors that coalesce at the very last moment.
Start with a good tortilla as the foundation. Fresh, handmade corn tortillas, from a local source or ones that you make yourself (it’s easier than you think), can make the difference between ordinary and extraordinary. Tacos don’t necessarily have to be built from the ground up – you can use last night’s grilled tri-tip or leg of lamb, or leftover dirty rice and beans. Even ratatouille.
Just think of what would take those tacos to the next level. Grilled chorizo with that ratatouille, for example, or mint pesto and julienned radishes with those thin slices of leg of lamb.
Pile tortillas high with the leftovers from a fantastic daube or roast chicken, then mix up a quick salsa from the greens in your garden and the heirloom tomatoes now loading market stalls. Doctor a jar of mayonnaise or some sour cream, or add a squeeze of lime or Meyer lemon.
Serve and eat your haute tacos right as they come off the griddle and out of the kitchen – they’re immediate food, and the alliance of textures and temperatures is ephemeral.
