Seared Steak Elote Corn Tacos
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Your new favorite meal – Seared Steak Elote Corn Tacos. Chili lime seared steak with creamy elote corn and avocado wrapped in a soft tortilla . You will love the blend of the seasoned steak with the creamy fresh corn off the cob with elote seasoned crema, topped with avocado and wrapped in tortillas. This is a simple but really flavorful meal!
Lately I’ve been loving all things corn off the cob Elote style (see my Elote kale salad here and my Elote pasta salad here). Mexican Elote is corn on the cob slathered in a cream sauce and garnished with chili powder, cheese and lime.
And because I believe that most food tastes good in taco form, I decided to try my Elote corn salad on top of a chili lime steak in these Seared Steak Elote Corn Tacos. I also add avocado, lots of queso fresco cheese, and top with cilantro and green onions. Wrapped in a soft tortillas, these tacos were such a hit with my family! The corn is fresh and sweet with a tangy lime and chili seasoning, the avocado is creamy, and the steak is salty and rich. Together they make a perfect flavor combination.
When researching methods and ingredients for Elote, I learned that there are several variations on how to make Mexican street corn – some make it with mayonnaise and some make it with Mexican crema – which is like a table cream (similar flavor to heavy cream but a little thicker). (I love this Cacique brand.) I don’t love the idea of slathering my corn in mayonnaise so I opted to make this recipe with the crema – and it turned out delicious! Sweet corn slathered in cream? Yes please!
Seared Steak Elote Corn Tacos
Ingredients
Chili Lime Steak (Marinade)
- 2 lbs. flank steak (or skirt steak)
- 1/3 cup olive oil (plus 2 tablespoons for cooking steak)
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Elote Corn Dressing
- 1/2 cup Mexican Crema
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1½ teaspoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Elote Corn Salad Mixture
- 8 ears corn on the cob, cooked and cut off the cob
- 1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
- 1 bunch green onions, diced
- 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
For Serving
- small flour tortillas (I like the street taco size)
- 1-2 avocados, sliced
- extra queso fresco
- limes
- cilantro, diced
Instructions
Steak Marinade
- Start this recipe by marinating the steak. It tastes best when you can marinate it for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
- Place the steak in large metal or glass pan.
- In a separate bowl, mix the marinade ingredients (olive oil, lime juice, sugar, salt, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic salt, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper).Mix well.
- Pour the marinade over the steak. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour up to overnight.
Elote Corn Salad and Dressing
- While the steak is marinating, you can prepare the elote corn salad.
- First, lightly cook the corn cobs in a large pot of boiling water. Cook for 5-6 minutes until bright yellow and still slightly firm to the touch. Don't overcook! You want the corn a little crisp.
- Once the corn is cooked, remove from the boiling water using tongs. Place on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut the corn off the cobs. Place into a large bowl and chill in the fridge.
- While the corn in chilling, dice the green onions, finely chop the cilantro, and crumble the queso fresco.
- While the corn is chilling, make the dressing. Combine the Elote Corn Dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.
- Once everything is prepped, remove the corn from the fridge and add in the green onions, cilantro, and queso fresco. Toss together.
- Once tossed, add in the Elote Dressing mixture and mix until just combined. Place back into the fridge to chill until ready to serve.
Cooking the Steak
- Heat a large skillet to high heat. Once pan is hot, add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then using tongs, lower the steak into the pan.
- Sear the steak on each side until it reaches your desired level of color – about 5-6 minutes per side for medium, about 7-9 minutes per side for medium well (depending on how thick your flank steak is).
- Once steak is cooked, remove from heat and place on a large wooden cutting board. Immediately salt it and cover it (I like to use flake salt for this step).Cover it with aluminum foil to rest for 5-7 minutes.
- Once rested, using a very sharp knife, cut the steak against the grain into strips for your tacos.
Assembling the Tacos
- Once the steak is sliced you are ready to assemble the tacos. Start by layering thinly sliced avocado into each tortilla. Then top with the steak, and then add the elote corn salad on top.
- Garnish with extra queso fresco, and if desired lime juice, and more cilantro.
- Enjoy!
- (Elote Corn Salad mixture stores great in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.)
Video
I hope you love these Seared Steak Elote Corn Tacos– let me know if you decide to make it too! Click here to see my other taco recipes and tag me with photos if you make this @plumstreetcollective on Instagram. Happy cooking!
