Crispy Ground Beef Tacos

These crispy shell tacos known as “tacos dorados” referring to the golden-brown fried corn shell. They remind me of taco nights growing up when we made tacos from store-bought taco kits.

Course taco

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings

Calories 561kcal

Author Kylie Mazon-Chambers

Ingredients

For the taco seasoning:

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne

For assembly:

Vegetable oil, as needed, for frying
10 small taco-size corn tortillas
1 pound 85/15 ground beef
Shredded iceberg lettuce, for serving
2 medium Roma tomatoes, cored and diced
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the taco seasoning:

In a small mixing bowl stir together the chili powder, cumin, cornstarch, paprika, coriander, garlic powder, salt and cayenne until combined and set aside.

For assembly:

Fill a medium cast-iron skillet with enough oil to reach 1-inch up the sides. Heat oil to 325ºF. Working one at a time, fry the tortillas by folding the tortilla in half and laying one half flat in oil while holding the other half slightly open with tongs until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Flip and repeat on the other side so it forms a half-moon shell, continuing to fry until golden brown, about an additional minute. Remove to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the frying oil into the pan and heat through. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally and using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, until the beef is browned, about 6 minutes.
Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan and stir in the taco seasoning and ½ cup of water, stirring to combine. Return the mixture to a simmer over medium heat until the mixture thickens, about an additional 3 minutes.
Fill each of the crispy shells with meat then top with shredded lettuce, tomato, sour cream and cheese.

Notes

After frying the taco shells, drain them well and let them cool slightly before filling. Adding the beef while the shells are still too hot can cause steam, which softens the shells and reduces their crunch.

Nutrition