This profound taco is a cross between Vietnamese and Mexican cuisine. It is not your regular typical taco. Fusion beef ceviche taco is loaded with addicted flavors. A little bit of sweetness enhanced by a hint of sourness and a tap of cilantro aroma.
This Fusion beef ceviche taco is inspired by the memory I had in one of the greatest cities in the States: the weird Austin. Every time when I was in downtown areas, I had to pass by the amazing Korean taco food truck Chi’lantro. If you ever had chance to visit the city in night time, don’t miss this food truck. I promise you will not be disappointed.
These tacos really remind me of the good time I had in Austin. I have so many unforgettable memories in this one of a kind city. Not to mention I’ve made friends with a lot of wonderful human beings along the way too. It’s forever my home, regardless of where I am now. That said, I can’t stop making tacos because I always am missing Austin. Besides this profound ceviche taco, these labor intense roasted duck tacos is worth a try too. They can become your new cooking challenge if you’re also into experiencing new taco taste just like me.
What is ceviche?
Ceviche normally means the fish, shellfish; occasionally beef are cooked in the acidic citrus juice. Although many variety of fish or shellfish may be used, it is very important that the products must be absolutely fresh.
It is advised to use nonreactive mixing bowls such as stainless steel, glass or plastic for mixing, curing, and storing ceviche. Aluminum, copper and other metal containers may react with the acids in the lime juice, and they end up giving the food an awful metallic flavor.
Safety alert: fresh raw seafood are not always good for your health
Often we prefer eating seafood freshly caught from the sea. That is why those seafood markets in Asia country are widely popular and attracts million of visitors. However, truth to be told, raw fish and shellfish are a potentially hazardous food. Unfortunately, many species of fish carry parasites that are harmless to fish but very harmfull to humans.
In order to destroy these parasites, such fish should be frozen before consuming. So next time when you’re at a freshly caught seafood market, make sure you know what type of fish you can and can’t eat right away. Better be safe than sorry, right? The best way to enjoy these types of raw fish or meat, in my opinion, is to ensure they are properly handled and served by a skilled and professional individual.
The curing process of this Fusion Beef Ceviche Taco
Well, enough with a romantic, cheezy breezy flash back. Lets go straight to the point. As mentioned above, these tacos are mixed between Vietnamese and Mexican flavors. Which means the beef is quickly seared before cured in lime juice and fish sauce mixture. By doing this, I can reduce the prepping time significantly and also make it safer to consume semi raw beef. This also helps to avoid cross contamination which can possibly pick up some micro-organisms along the process.
In order to let the ceviche fully develop its flavor, it is important to pay attention to the curing time. You have to let beef soak and marinade in lime juice mixture for at least 30 minutes. This curing process helps to tenderize the meat. It also gives the beef ceviche the benefit to pick up more flavor along the way.
Easy Peasy Beef Ceviche Mini Tacos
Ingredients
- 10 mini taco
- 1/2 lb beef (preferred rump) sliced
- 1 small white onion thinly sliced
- 1 medium red/yellow bell pepper thinly sliced
- parsley or cilantro for garnish
- pickled jalapeno, gherkin, cucumber optional
Ceviche mixture
- 1/2 c lime juice
- 3 garlic gloves minced
- 1 oz fish sauce
- 1/4c + 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 Thai chilies minced
Instructions
- Season sliced beef with a little bit of salt and pepper
- Heat a small pan on a stove. Wait until the pan is hot, add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil then add sliced beef. Quickly sear the beef (about 1-2 minutes only) until the outside of the beef turned light brown, but make sure the inside still stays red
- Quickly turn off the heat and transfer seared beef to a plate or a sheet pan. Spread them out so they can cool down to room temperature quickly
Curing process
- In a small sauce bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Set aside about 1oz of the mixture and save for later. The curing juice/sauce should taste a little bit sour than the normal fish sauce mixture.
- When the beef cool down to room temperature, submerge them and white onion completely in curing juice, and cure for 30 minutes or until all the meat turn light brown
- In a mean time, heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a medium pan and quickly cook bell pepper
- When beef is done with the curing process, take them out of the juice and put in a separate bowl. Served the beef with mini tacos, complimented with stir fried bell peppers, pickled, garnish and sauce on the side (add more if you want). Enjoy!
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