A taco is a popular dish or snack that originates from Mexico. It includes small hand-sized tortilla corn or wheat tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is folded around the filling and eaten by hand. It can be made of different fillings, such as beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, cheese, beans, seafood, and more. They are also often garnished with different condiments, like sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. Some vegetables are also added, like lettuce, onion, chiles, and tomatoes.
Tacos are great to serve as snacks at home and as well as at parties and different events. If you have an event coming up and you need help on how to serve them to your guests, you’re in the right place. Today, we are giving you the ultimate guide to serving tacos.
Ingredients Needed to Serve Tacos
Here are the ingredients that you need to be able to serve tacos:
Tortillas
There are different kinds of tortillas that you can serve, such as soft, hard, grain-free, double-decker, and corn tortillas. The easiest to prepare is the soft tortillas. You only need to warm them up in the skillet and keep them warm in a towel. For hard tortillas, you need to toast them in the oven fast but gently until they are warm. Grain-free tortillas are grilled on a gas grill. The best choice for parties is double-decker tortillas.
Double-decker tortillas are like those served in restaurants like Taco Bell. You just need to heat some soft tortillas with two to three tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese. When the cheese is melted, place a hard taco inside and fold it along with the other sides. You can also check out our Bacon Weave Taco Shell Recipe.
Corn Tortillas
Unleavened tortilla dough, prepared dough, is made from wet ground nixtamalized corn. Stonecutters cut and grind corn as they grind it. The kneading allows the dough to come together into a cohesive dough that is ready to make tortillas. The tortillas are formed by hand or machine and cooked on a griddle known as Comal in Spanish.
Masa Harina
With masa flour, more corn tortillas can be made when flour is made from dehydrated corn dough. This dough is made with less water and then dried to make tortillas for tacos. Also, it has less flavor but the additional golden and toasty flavor gives you a smoother texture than fresh dough.
Flour Tortillas
In Northwestern Mexico, wheat flour tortillas are typical of Sonora. They are used to make Burras, a local type of tacos. Burras is also known as burritos in the US. They are simply rolled up and served with simple tomato sauce. The fillings are traditional, such as jerky cooked with chili powder. Also, Carne machaca or shredded beef can be used for filling.
Meat
For tacos, it is better to use easy-to-cook meat. You can choose between taco-seasoned chicken or taco-seasoned beef. Using a slow cooker to cook these types of meat will keep them warm and tasty. For those who are health-conscious, we also recommend you to read the top food recipes that are also immunity boosters.
Sides
There are lots of sides or fixings that you can include in your tacos to make them more enjoyable. Here are some of the best examples:
Chips and Salsa: Chips and a dip is a classic way to serve tacos. You can choose among different salsas or serve a variety of them so that your guests can choose what salsa they like.
Mexican Rice with Chipotle: This is an authentic Mexican side dish that goes with every Mexican dish. It is a simple recipe that includes carrots, peas, and coriander. Some chipotle paste is added to give it a hot and smoky flavor.
Refried Beans: Refried beans are a no-brainer when it comes to the tacos side dish. They are easy to make, and leftovers can be used as a dip with tortillas the following day.
Mexican Corn: This is another way to enjoy corn on the cob. It is also a perfect accompaniment for tacos.
Guacamole: You can spoon some guacamole on top of the tacos to add some flavors to them.
Mexican Salad: You can also make some Mexican salad as a side dish for your tacos. This can include some slices of spring onion, avocado, carrots, radishes, feta cheese, and some smoky chipotle honey. It is perfect for guests who prefer something fresh, light, and healthy.
Mexican Coleslaw: Some crisp Mexican coleslaw is a perfect accompaniment for your tacos. Compared to regular coleslaw, it is more flavorful due to the use of chipotle mayo dressing and some zingy lime.
Mexican Black Beans: These are also a great choice to serve with tacos. You can also garnish them with chiles, coriander, and some finely chopped onion.
In addition to these, you can also include classic sides, such as diced tomatoes, cilantro, Jalapeno slices, Mexican rice, sour cream, shredded Mexican cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Types Of Tacos You Should Try
Carne Asada
Easy carne asada tacos made with juicy and tender marinated skirt steak or flank steak with fresh cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese, and chopped onions toppings are perfect. They are authentic Mexican street tacos with super flavor and become a family favorite quickly. Try the recipe of these flavory tacos at home.
Shrimp Tacos
A traditional taco from the Pacific coast of Mexico is made with shrimp or prawns. They are savory with fresh dressings. Also, they make a perfectly healthy and quick weeknight dinner party food. Shrimp tacos are served with mango and avocado salsa with lime wedges on the top ends of the tacos. Try this shrimp tacos recipe for family dinner.
Barbacoa Beef
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You need an underground oven to make traditional tacos named Barbacoa. The term barbacoa refers to the way the meat is prepared. Meat used in this taco recipe can be goat or lamb. The flavorful barbecued meat is seasoned and cooked slowly and low until tender. Then the meat is layered in the tortillas with desired toppings to serve at dinner. The recommended toppings for barbacoa beef are cheese, tomatoes, radishes, salsa, etc.
Birria Tacos
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Traditionally, Birria is a dish served as a stew on special occasions. In northern Mexico, spicy meat, often beef, lamb, or goat is served in tacos. Birria tacos are famous because of their addictive, spicy, tangy, and flavorful Mexican beef stew. The meat is slowly cooked until juicy and tender.
It was a great idea to stuff the meat in tacos and then dip the whole mess into a stew. Birria tacos are so good that you might make them every week.
Tacos de Pescado
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When you drive along Mexico’s Baja California Coast you come across fresh fish tacos served by carts. It can be grilled or fried, puff pastry whitefish with shredded cabbage, sour cream, and pico de gallo topping. They make a perfect snack on the beach. These Baja Fish Tacos are made with crispy beer-coated cod stuffed in corn tortillas. The toppings can be smoky chipotle sauce and coleslaw.
Setting Up a Taco Bar
When throwing a party or holding an event, you can serve tacos on a platter. But if you want to up your game, then you can set up a taco bar. If you want to do this, you first need to decide whether it will be an indoor or outdoor taco bar. Also, determine the number of guests that you will be serving.
For large crowds, an outdoor taco bar is great. It can provide your guests with more access to a fresher air and a cooler dining atmosphere. If you plan to serve tacos outdoors, you can use portable burners, chafing trays, or alcohol-burning warming cans to keep them warm. Here are some of the best tips we can give:
Consider how you will transport the tacos.
If you are serving the tacos away from home, such as in a resort, in church, or dining halls, then you have to consider how to transport them safely. You also need to know the electrical capabilities of the place you are going to. It is a good idea to bring a slow cooker and portable stoves to heat the dishes conveniently, especially if you plan to serve several toppings.
Set up a street-style taco bar at a party.
To attract your guests and to make taco serving more fun, you can create a street-style taco bar. To do this, you need ingredients like 1 to 2 corn tortillas per taco, lean ground beef, and essential toppings like red and green sauce, diced onions, cilantro, and some sliced lime for added flavor.
You can also include more toppings like serrano peppers, shredded cheddar, rice, beans, and a variety of salsas. To pair with the tacos, you can add some refreshing drinks, such as horchata, cucumber water, sodas, and even hot chocolate bomb treats.
Have the right utensils and equipment for serving tacos.
For cooking and serving tacos, you need to have the proper utensils and equipment. These include slow cookers, warmers, roasting trays, bowls, paper plates, cutleries, serving spoons and utensils, and table napkins. The appliances will be used to cook the meats, rice, and beans.
The bowls are used for the sides like lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese to let the guests choose what toppings or sides they like. There should also be tongs or a serving spatula for each of them. If there are many sauces, make sure that each one of them has deep serving spoons.
Decorate your taco bar.
The presentation of your taco bar is important to make the tacos look more appetizing. It should have a Mexican vibe. You should also use matching bowls, serving spoons, and tablecloths.
Serving Tacos – Try Different Tacos Dinner
The foundation of tacos comes from corn tortillas or tortillas with different fillings. There have been variations in tacos recipes with basic hard-shell tacos, soft-shell tacos, breakfast burritos, etc. You will find a lot of tacos recipes that you can try at home and make a perfect dinner for a party.
Serving tacos is quite easy, and it is also lots of fun. It is among the versatile snacks out there, as you can customize the toppings and side dishes based on your preferences. It is also one of the easiest finger foods to enjoy at parties, special events, or simple gatherings at home. We hope this guide helped you learn more about serving tacos.