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Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

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My Best Taco Recipes

three tacos de cabeza on a plate
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Let me start by saying that the concept of taco recipes is something of a misnomer, because, well, as the great Mexican chef Gabriela Camara notes, “everything can be a taco.” That means you can put anything you want in a taco.

I’ve been inspired by scores of Mexican cookbooks, both in English and in Spanish, as well as the Mexican chefs I have known, especially my friends Patricio and Cinthia of Nixtaco, here in the Sacramento area.

After having made hundreds of tortillas and countless taco recipes, after reading all those books and talking with all those chefs, here are some guidelines for the best tacos no matter what is in them:

  • Good tortillas, flour, corn or whatever. It’s important. (Here’s an essay I wrote about the importance of mastering the tortilla.)
  • A centerpiece, usually meat or fish but it can be mushrooms or a vegetable.
  • A mix of textures — crunchy, crispy, soft, dense, etc.
  • Different colors, ideally. Not necessary, but nice. Remember people eat with their eyes first.
  • Something spicy and something tart. Salsa and lime are usual here, but you could in theory do horseradish and vinegar if you want to.
  • Fill generously but not so much you can’t eat the taco.

Oh, and one more thing. Like sandwiches where I grew up in New Jersey, once you pick up a taco, you never set it down. This is why real-deal tacos are always small. They are antojitos, little cravings, not giant discs that are a meal in itself.

A word on the term “street taco.” It’s generally an American name for a small taco that isn’t made in the American style, i.e., with chopped lettuce, pre-shredded cheese and diced tomatoes. A street taco will typically be on a corn tortilla, and is normally very simple, with the meat in question, plus white onions soaked in lime, cilantro and whatever salsa you like.

A proper taco night has lots of options for you to choose your own adventure. Maybe more than one meat or fish or whatever. Definitely chopped herbs, usually cilantro. Definitely a crunchy thing, usually radishes. Often crumbly or shredded cheese. And always salsas, ideally at least two.

Here are a bunch of my salsa recipes you can choose from.

Let’s start with the tortilla.

Your call, flour or corn. Flour is more common on Mexico’s northern tier, as well as in our states that border that region. Corn is the rule everywhere else.

Finished homemade flour tortillas ready to eat

Homemade Flour Tortillas

How to make really good Sonoran style flour tortillas from scratch.

Read More about Homemade Flour Tortillas

homemade corn tortillas

How to Make Corn Tortillas

How to make corn tortillas at home.

Read More about How to Make Corn Tortillas

three kinds of homemade masa harina in bowls

How to Make Masa Harina

If you want to go even farther, here’s how to make your own masa harina, the powdered masa to make corn tortillas on a weeknight.

Read More about How to Make Masa Harina

rinsed nixtamal

How to Make Nixtamal

And here is how to make nixtamal, which is how you prepare corn for grinding into masa for tortillas.

Read More about How to Make Nixtamal

And here are my personal taco recipes. They range from meat and fish to vegetables and even wild mushrooms. They’re what I do, and they can guide you to many great taco nights in the future!

A platter of turkey tacos

Turkey Breast Tacos

Wild turkey breast tacos with roasted poblanos and jack cheese. Simple, easy to make and delicious.

Read More about Turkey Breast Tacos

A platter of tacos dorados, or taquitos

Tacos Dorados

Taquitos or tacos dorados, these are small corn tortillas filled with a little chicken or whatever, then fried to set them into a cigar shape.

Read More about Tacos Dorados

All the fixings for duck tacos arrayed on a table.

Duck Tacos

Duck or goose confit tacos, with all the trimmings. A great use for legs of any sort of waterfowl.

Read More about Duck Tacos

Goose tacos recipe

Goose Tacos

Specifically designed for skinless goose breasts, this is a great thing to make with your Canada or snow geese.

Read More about Goose Tacos

Holding a taco de lengua ready to eat

Deer Tongue Tacos

Classic tacos de lengua, using whatever tongues you have available: beef, elk, bison, deer, pig, lamb. All are good. You braise the tongue, then chop it and then sear it just a little so you get a combination of soft and crispy.

Read More about Deer Tongue Tacos

A plate of tongue tacos

Tongue Tacos

Another version of tacos de lengua, where you smoke the tongue first, then braise and chop it.

Read More about Tongue Tacos

A plate of arrachera tacos with salsa

Arrachera Tacos

Classic Northern Mexico arrachera tacos, made with skirt steak from an elk. Use any flank or skirt steak here.

Read More about Arrachera Tacos

A platter of venison tacos.

Venison Tacos

Seared or grilled venison tacos. Make sure you chop the venison better than in this picture, so it will not all pull out when you eat it!

Read More about Venison Tacos

pheasant tacos recipe overhead view

Ultimate Pheasant Tacos

If you hunt pheasants, or any white meat bird, you need to make these. Yes, you do.

Read More about Ultimate Pheasant Tacos

Meats for Taco Recipes

These are recipes for fillings for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, sopes… hell, they’re all great just poured over rice. As a general rule, 1 pound of taco meat will make around 8 to 10 tacos.

A bowl of chicharron en salsa verde

Chicharron en Salsa Verde

Arguably the most common, loved, humble taco filling in Mexico. It’s pork (or duck) cracklins’ simmered in salsa verde.

Read More about Chicharron en Salsa Verde

Chilaca pork stew in a bowl

Chilaca Pork Stew

Roasted chilaca or poblano (or Anaheim) chiles with pork and tomatoes. Mexican comfort food.

Read More about Chilaca Pork Stew

A bowl of Mexican picadillo

Mexican Picadillo

A Sonoran version of classic picadillo, this is my version of ground beef tacos.

Read More about Mexican Picadillo

Mexican chorizo on a tray

Mexican Chorizo

Not a full taco filling in and of itself, but homemade chorizo forms the basis of the best breakfast burrito or taco, along with cheese and eggs.

Read More about Mexican Chorizo

Fresh green chorizo on a platter

Green Chorizo

The green version of Mexican chorizo, this is from Toluca near Mexico City.

Read More about Green Chorizo

Yucatan turkey recipe

Shredded Turkey Yucatan

Slow simmered turkey legs, shredded and sauced in a Yucatecan sauce. Fantastic on a taco.

Read More about Shredded Turkey Yucatan

turkey carnitas in a bowl

Wild Turkey Leg Carnitas

Another way to go with wild or domesticated turkey legs. Slow cooked in broth and fat, then shredded and crisped up. You need this in your life.

Read More about Wild Turkey Leg Carnitas

venison barbacoa with all the accompaniments

Venison Barbacoa

Maybe the ultimate venison taco filling, this is slow braised shoulder, neck or shank, shredded just like you get at Chipotle, only better.

Read More about Venison Barbacoa

Venison birria in a bowl

Venison Birria

Birria, traditionally done with goat or beef, is fantastic with venison. It is a specialty of Jalisco.

Read More about Venison Birria

Shredded jackrabbit recipe

Shredded Jackrabbit

Similar to the barbacoa recipe above, but specifically designed for jackrabbits and hares. This is a Yaqui Indian recipe from Sonora.

Read More about Shredded Jackrabbit

A bowl of venison carne guisada

Venison Carne Guisada

Texans will be familiar with this one, although my specific recipe is from Durango, Mexico.

Read More about Venison Carne Guisada

A bowl of chile colorado

Chile Colorado

Use this recipe for any meat, or even big mushrooms. It’s a classic for a reason.

Read More about Chile Colorado

Chile verde in a bowl, ready to eat.

Pork Chile Verde

Here’s the green version of chile colorado, and it’s just as good.

Read More about Pork Chile Verde

Fish and Seafood for Taco Recipes

Lobster tacos with cabbage and pico de gallo

Lobster Tacos

Lobster tacos are a thing in Baja, and this is my version of this fantastic taco.

Read More about Lobster Tacos

Tacos gobernador with a beer and hot sauce

Tacos Gobernador

Tacos gobernador is a classic shrimp taco of Mexico’s Pacific Coast, originating in Sinaloa.

Read More about Tacos Gobernador

Moles

These are elaborate sauces for various meats. There are many kinds, and all are excellent on a tortilla!

Mole chichilo with chochoyotes on a plate.

Venison Mole Chichilo

Skip the masa dumplings in this recipe and just serve the shredded venison on a taco. You won’t be sad.

Read More about Venison Mole Chichilo

A plate of mole coloradito with duck

Mole Coloradito

A light, bright mole great for not only tacos, but even as a salsa for chips.

Read More about Mole Coloradito

Mole amarillo recipe

Mole Amarillo, Mexico’s Golden Sauce

This is the yellow mole, perfect for white meats or pork. It’s a lighter, more tart sauce that really becomes special if you can get the yellow chiles.

Read More about Mole Amarillo, Mexico’s Golden Sauce

Mexican mole negro with turkey on a plate

Mole Negro

The ultimate mole, mole negro is the Queen of All Moles. Make a big batch and save some for tacos.

Read More about Mole Negro

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Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw. I am a James Beard Award-winning author and chef and I focus my energies on wild foods: Foraging, fishing, hunting. I write cookbooks as well as this website, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild game, fish, or edible wild plants and mushrooms, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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