Tacos are so simple to make and so delicious to eat. Add in different ingredients with each taco, and you will never get bored!

A little background: Before I met my partner-in-crime, Chef Carlos, I was delighted to find a taco truck and indulge in some street-style tacos. 

There is just something about the combination of cilantro, onion, and crispy meat that makes my fat-girl soul soar. 

Well, after ten years of living with a chef, I’ve ditched the taco trucks because he has taught me all of the secrets of his too-good-to-be-true carne asada tacos.

I have been begging him for a few months now to let me start a series of his Salvadoran delicacies, and he is finally giving me the green light.

You might be asking yourself why he wouldn’t let me share his recipes before. 

It’s not because his recipes suck, but quite the opposite. His Central American humbleness has never allowed him to credit himself with an internet-worthy recipe.

Well, I’m cracking that humble egg because his tricks of the trade are just TOO GOOD, NOT TO SHARE.

I leave you to be the judge after you try these delicious Salvadoran carne asada tacos!

Please feel free to let us know your honest opinion at the end of the post!

¡Buen provecho!

*This site may contain affiliate links. To real the full disclosure, click here.

What is carne asada:

Carne Asada is a Latin American dish made with flank or skirt steak. What makes carne asada unique is its marinade.

Having the right marinade will take your steak to the next level.

I have tried PLENTY of different carne asadas over my years, and I have come across very few that I LOVE as much as Carlos’ marinade recipe. My suegra’s recipe comes in close behind, but then again, Carlos learned her recipe by watching over the years!

During the warm weather, carne asada is a weekly occurrence in our house, and it is the platter of choice when we host birthday parties or celebrations! It pairs nicely with various sides, such as rice, beans, and pico de gallo. 

BUT, we aren’t talking about carne asada platters in this post. That will be saved for a future post! 

Today, we are talking about carne asada tacos. Salvadoran-style marinated tacos that make your palate do things you never thought possible!

Keep reading for the recipe and how-tos!

6 Servings | Prep Time: 20 Minutes + time meat is marinating | Cook Time: 15 minutes 

Ingredients required to make carne asada tacos

• 2 lbs of flank or skirt steak
• Corn tortillas
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil: You will only need olive oil when cooking the tacos on the stovetop. The oil will prevent the carne from sticking to the skillet and add extra crispiness to the meat.
• Two tablespoons of Mustard
• Two tablespoons of Mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cup of Mollo Criollo
• 1 pack of Goya Sazón Con Culantro y Achiote
• 3/4 cup of diced red onion– Red onion is used in the marinade for the meat
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves– Chop all of the cilantro. 1/4 cup will go into the marinade. The rest will go into an additional bowl to add to the tacos.

Side ingredients that you can add to the taco to taste

• One diced medium yellow onion- The yellow onion will be placed in a separate bowl and added directly onto the taco.
• Two limes cut into wedges to add extra flavor to your tacos.
• Diced Tomatoes (optional)
• Sour Cream (optional)
• Hot sauce
• Jalapeños, fresh or pickled
• Sea Salt to taste

How to make carne asada tacos

• Prepare your carne asada marinade
  • You can either mix the marinade ingredients or blend them, as Carlos does with tacos.
• Prepare your meat
  • Stovetop instructions: If you are cooking on the stovetop, it is best to cut your meat into small pieces. Remember to cut against the grain!
  • Grill Instructions: Leave your steak in larger pieces to keep it from falling in the grill.
• Place meat in a large ziplock back and add the carne asada marinade.
  • Let your meat marinate. You can let your meat marinate for as long as you like. We usually only marinate our meat during the duration it takes us to prepare the additional ingredients and it still turns out super flavorful!
• While your meat is marinating, prepare your additional sides.
  • Our setup usually includes lime wedges, diced onions, chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, a variety of hot sauces, diced tomato, and fresh or pickled jalapeños.
• Cook your carne
• If you cook your steak on the stovetop, heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. The oil will make the meat more crispy and prevent it from sticking to the pan.
  • Once your oil is hot (you can test this out by running your hand underwater and spritzing the skillet with water droplets, if the oil hisses, it is hot enough!), use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the carne from the bag and onto the skillet.
  • Let the carne cook to the temperature of your liking.

    *When eating red meat, I usually prefer a medium-rare temperature, but for carne asada, it is best cooked all the way and then some more for a crispy and flavorful texture!

  • Take your carne out and place it in a bowl or plate.
• When cooked on the grill, let your grill heat up completely. With tongs place your meat on this grill. Let it cook thoroughly on both sides. Again, the crispier, the better.
  • Once you take it off the grill, use a cutting board to cut your meat into smaller pieces.
• Warm up the tortilla.

  Sometimes we use homemade tortillas for our tacos. I will go into how to make homemade tortillas in a future post, but most of the time, we use store-bought corn tortillas

• We warm them up by one of two options.
  • Wrap a stack of tortillas in paper towels and put them in the microwave for 30 seconds or
  • Heat the tortillas on a griddle for 30 seconds on each side of the tortilla.
• Now that the prepping and the cooking is done, you get to enjoy your Salvadoran carne asada tacos!

Here is how I prepare my carne asada taco!!

I take TWO store-bought tortillas or ONE homemade tortilla, and directly on the tortilla, I spread sour cream. SORRY. I am a GRINGA and I love my sour cream! I know, call the taco police!!!

Next, I add the hot sauce. My first choice is usually Cholula, or Sriracha.

Then, I add my meat, followed by freshly chopped cilantro, diced onions, and sometimes, I add diced tomatoes.

Lastly, I squeeze a lime wedge on top.

Then I stuff my face. Literally. 

Lastly, I remind myself to breathe in between bites ;-D.

Well I think I covered most of the basics!

I hope you enjoy this dish. Let me know how you enjoyed this recipe in the comments below!!!!

¡Buen provecho y hasta la próxima!

Check out some of Carlos’ other recipes here:

• Step By Step Salvadoran Pescado Frito
• Typical Salvadoran Shrimp Ceviche

The post Salvadoran Carne Asada Tacos appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

This burst of beautiful weather that we are getting this week in Maryland has inspired me to get out some of our favorite spring and summer recipes.

This week I am going to post our delicious Carne Asada Tacos. Since we use the same marinade for our tacos in other recipes, I wanted to create this post to use as a reference for future posts. So here is a quick guide on how to make an easy Salvadoran-styled Carne Asada marinade. 

To add some context: the majority of this blog’s content focuses on Bilingual Beginnings—tips on raising bilingual children and resources on raising kids in Spanish. One advice I always reiterate throughout my posts about raising kids in a target language is that it is VERY important to introduce kids to the target CULTURE!

I make sure to include the Salvadoran culture into every aspect of my son Lennox’s life through music, history, literature, and most definitely through FOOD!

Lennox gets exposed to Salvadoran food daily, and I can only give thanks to his Papi, Carlos, for this exposure. Carlos was born in El Salvador and is a chef—a GREAT ONE at that.

Enough with the nonsense. Let me get you the short and straightforward recipe for this delicious marinade which will leave your palate begging for MÁS!

*This site may contain affiliate links. To real the full disclosure, click here.

Prepping the carne asada marinade

Prepping the carne asada marinade takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on how long it takes you to cut the vegetables.

When I prepare the ingredients, it takes closer to 10 minutes. On the other hand, Carlos has been making this marinade his entire life, so he can basically do it in his sleep. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but he can definitely cut the ingredients pretty quick!

The quantity of marinade here is approximately what we would use to yield two pounds of carne asada meat, but there is no harm in having too much.

Sometimes, we have leftover marinade and store it in a storage container if we decide to roast any more meat for the week.

Here is a list of items you will need for your homemade carne asada marinade

• Two tablespoons of Mustard
• Two tablespoons of Mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 cup of Mojo Criollo
• 1 pack of Goya Sazón Con Culantro y Achiote
• 3/4 cup of diced red onion
• 1/3 cup of chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• For even more flavor, you can add a clove or two of minced garlic
• Salt to taste

How to prepare your marinade

1. Dice the onions and chop the cilantro and place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. If using garlic, mince the garlic and add to the bowl.
3. Add in the Mojo Criollo, mustard, mayo, and Goya Sazón packet and salt to taste.
4. Mix.

For some recipes, such as the Carne Asada Tacos, Carlos will take all of these ingredients, put them into the blender, and blend them until smooth. This technique combines the flavors beautifully and allows for even coverage of the meat. 

We use this technique more for recipes in which we are cutting the meat before cooking it, such as tacos, over recipes where we leave the meat in flanks, such as carne asada. 

Once your marinade is ready, add your meat.

You can either let your meat sit in the marinade for a few hours, even overnight, but we find the meat to be just as enjoyable after only a few minutes in the marinade!

You can let me know how you like it best by leaving us a comment in the comment section below!

We hope you enjoy this easy carne asada marinade. It goes well on so many recipes, especially on roasted chicken!

¡Hasta la próxima!

Check out some recipes:

• Step By Step Salvadoran Pescado Frito
• Typical Salvadoran Shrimp Ceviche
• How to Make Salvadoran Carne Asada Tacos

The post The Absolute Best Carne Asada Marinade (Salvadoran-Style) appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

If you have never tried Salvadoran food before, you need to. It is so delicious, I could eat it every day. Well lucky me, I get to eat Salvadoran food a couple of times a week because not only is my amazing partner-in-crime a chef, but he’s a Salvadoran chef at that. 

Well, I have been quite selfish the past nine years because I have wanted to keep him and all of his concoctions to myself. However, it’s time to reveal his talent to the world.

Keep reading for a step-by-step guide on how to make this delicious Salvadoran Pescado Frito recipe, plus side dish recommendations!

This Pescado Frito recipe that I am going to share with you today is a Salvadoran delicacy, and it is so finger-licking-good that as soon as Carlos or I mention the words “pescado frito”, we are running to Wegmans to get all of the ingredients!

Pescado Frito means fried fish; however, this is not the kind of fried fish that you may have tried before.

This fried fish has no batter, bread crumbs, or egg. It is cooked in oil, however, Carlos’s way of preparing and marinating the fish before frying it gives it a to-die-for flavor that leaves the fish dorado y crujiente (golden and crispy).

This recipe is for an entire entree. It comes with two sides, an iceberg salad, and rice. And if you want to make it a full-fledged Salvadoran meal, you cannot miss out on the homemade tortillas made from masa.

The total cooking time includes the time it takes to prepare all of this dish’s components. If you are a multitasker, it will take you significantly less time.

Ingredients for Salvadoran Pescado Frito

• 2 Whole Fish
• 1 cup of Mustard
• 4 Limes
• 1 Lemons (optional)
• 2 cups of rice
• 1 Head of Iceberg lettuce
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Red Onion
• Masa (Optional)
• 1 cup of  Oil
• Sea Salt

My favorite place to buy fresh fish is Wegmans. They have a great selection of meaty fish at an affordable price. The particular fish we used in this tutorial is a Branzino, the Italian name for a Mediterranean Sea Bass. 

*Don’t settle for the cheapest option. The best quality the fish, will be more meatier and have less bones. Remember, this is a delicacy, so it is more about quality over quantity.

Select a fresh fish (preferably whole), and small to medium in size so that it properly fits in your saute pan. 

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy this dish. If you give it a try, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below!!!

The post Step By Step Salvadoran Pescado Frito appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Are you planning a Christmas party, or simply looking for a cocktail to get you into that Christmas spirit? Look no further. This delicious cranberry sage cocktail will do just the trick.

I am not usually a gin drinker; however, the acidity of the fresh cranberries and limes mixed with the sweetness of the candied sage and cranberry juice makes the palate pop. You can’t even tell that there in Gin in your drink!

If you’re new to my blog, one of my part-time-jobs in as a bartender/server at Seasons 52, this drink is a spin-off version of my own.

What do you need to make this cranberry and sage gin cocktail?

• 1 bottle of Gin
• 2 Cups of whole cranberries
• 1 cup of sugar
• 6 juicy limes, cut in half
• 1 packet of fresh sage
• 3 cups of cranberry juice (Red or White)
• 3/4 cup of water
• 12 cups of ice

Optional ingredients:

• Aluminum Foil
• Muddler
• Shaker
• Basting brush

If you use this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

The post Cranberry and Sage Gin Cocktail (Seasons 52 Copycat Recipe) appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Can you feel it? Fall is finally in the air!

Have you begun your fall festivities with your family yet? If not, you can grab a beautiful list of child-friendly, cheap activities to do with your children here.

Lennox and I have already done quite a bit of fall activities. We made fall crafts, did some fall shopping, fall cooking, and we went on a fall scavenger hunt!

We even did our pumpkin carving already!

Afterwards, we made two delicious homemade roasted pumpkin seed recipes. They were so delightful that I am going to share the recipe with you today! Enjoy!

*This site may contain affiliate links. To real the full disclosure, click here.

Why roast pumpkin seeds?

Carving pumpkins is a must-do fall activity, but what do you do with the extracted seeds?

We eat them, and boy, are they tasty! I am actually about to head out after I write this post to buy more pumpkins because we already finished all of our seeds.

Not only are they tasty, but they are full of antioxidants, healthy fats, magnesium, and zinc.[1]         

What do you do with your pumpkin seeds once you carve your pumpkin? Do you throw them out, use them for crafting, plant them? Drop a comment below and let me know =)

For both of these recipes, I used raw pumpkin seeds from one large pumpkin. I split them in half, and it yielded around four cups of seeds. For each recipe, I used approximately two cups of pumpkin seeds. Enjoy =)

Below you can find the recipes to two homemade roasted pumpkin seeds

Other recipes you might enjoy:

• Caramelized Brussels Sprouts With Bacon. The Perfect Side Dish
• How to Make Salvadoran Carne Asada Tacos
• Step By Step Salvadoran Pescado Frito

Let’s hear from you!

Do you have any fun pumpkin seed recipes that you would like to share? If so, let me know in the comments below!

The post Homemade Roasted Pumpkin Seeds appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

Ahh, the fall weather here in Maryland is finally touching down, and I am beyond excited.

Fall is seriously the best season ever, sorry summer — the beautiful colors, crisp air, the flavorful foods, Halloween, the pumpkins and so on.

Today, I want to share one of my favorite fall foods with you, caramelized brussels sprouts with bacon. Super easy to make, and super savory to taste!

Enjoy. Please let me know your thoughts about this recipe in the comments below!

My personal history with these caramelized brussels sprouts with bacon

Until this blog starts to monetize, I am working part-time at Seasons 52, a restaurant that changes its menu seasonally to offer the freshest food selections of each season.  I have worked there for four years, and I cannot tell you how much I anticipate the fall menu and the tasty caramelized Brussels Sprouts accompaniment. I know I am not alone because a lot of guests come to Seasons solely for the Brussels Sprouts.

Well, I’m outraged this year because they did not bring back our OG Brussels Sprouts. Instead, they are featuring a truffle-honey Brussels Sprouts. They are still delicious, but I am still in mourning for the caramelized Brussels  Sprouts with bacon.

Over the years, I have attempted approximately 15 times to perfect this recipe. Throughout lots of trials and errors, I have finally found a recipe that I love!

Enjoy this dish. It is the perfect combination of savory and sweet and is the perfect side dish for any occasion.

In this post you can find the perfect side dish for any special occasion: Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Bacon!

• Two Scrumptiously Savory Recipes for Roasting Pumpkin Seeds This Fall
• Step By Step Salvadoran Pescado Frito
• How to Make Salvadoran Carne Asada Tacos

The post Caramelized Brussels Sprouts With Bacon (A Seasons 52 Copycat Recipe) appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.

We are not only raising our son bilingually, but also biculturally and one way we expose him to his Salvadoran roots is through food.

Luckily, my partner is a chef, so he’s got this aspect taken care of, while I focus on the linguistics!

Have you ever tried Salvadoran food? If you haven’t, you need to now.

Pupusas, tamales, carne asada, oh, it’s all so flavorful and delicious, you will be craving more as soon as you’re done your plate.

We’ll kick start our Salvadoran food series with this quick and easy Salvadoran shrimp ceviche.

Once you have gobbled up your ceviche, come back to check out some of Carlos’ other Salvadoran delights!

Related posts you might enjoy:

• Salvadoran Carne Asada Tacos
• Step By Step Salvadoran Pescado Frito
• 13 Facts Parents Who Want to Raise a Bilingual Child Need to Know

*This site may contain affiliate links. To real the full disclosure, click here.

Here’s a little anecdote I’d like to share.

Believe it or not, I used to be a picky eater, especially during my first trip to Nicaragua. I remember turning my nose up to fresh fruit juices, pinto gallo and homemade cheeses. Even Nicaraguan pizza didn’t cut it out for me.

Thank baby Jesus that I met Carlos in 2011, who whipped my picky-ass into shape. Whether I wanted to or not, he made me try new things, and each and every time, I was more and more surprised. It was all sooooo freaking delicious, my palate felt robbed of 19 years + of deliciousness.

Now that I am a mama, one of my parenting goals, apart from raising a Spanish-speaker, was to raise an adventurous eater. So, as soon as Lennox turned six-months-old, we started him on solid foods through baby-led weaning, and jokes aside, this kid eats everything. By nine-months, he was eating shellfish. His favorite food at one-year-old was this Typical Salvadoran Shrimp Ceviche. Watch the video below to see his serious love for Ceviche at almost one-year-old.

Learn more about baby led weaning here.

What is Ceviche?

Ceviche, pronouched (se-VEE-chay), is a Latin American dish which primarily consists of sliced shellfish marinated in lime juice. The acidity of the lime juice ‘cooks’ the shellfish— a process called Denaturation. Denaturation gives the appearance of being cooked, but has a much different texture and taste then actually being cooked by heat.

We hope you ejoyed this recipe, because we sure do on the weekly. There are lots more Latin American recipes that Lennox enjoys on the way. Stay tuned =)

The post A Quick and Easy Salvadoran Shrimp Ceviche appeared first on Bilingual Beginnings.