The quintessential authentic Mexican taqueria experience: melt-in-your-mouth beef tongue simmered low and slow in a fragrant broth, peeled, diced, and seared on a griddle, then served on warm corn tortillas with crisp white onion, fresh cilantro, and spicy salsa verde.
Ingredients
- 1400 g whole fresh beef tongue
- 2 pieces fresh white onion
- 5 cloves white garlic clove
- 3 leaves dried bay leaf
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 tbsp fine sea salt
- 3 l tap water
- 1 tbsp high-oleic sunflower oil
- 16 pieces nixtamalized white corn tortilla
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 pieces untreated lime
- 160 g Mexican tomatillo salsa verde
Method
- Rinse the beef tongue thoroughly under a stream of cold water, rubbing the surface to remove any impurities, then pat it dry with paper towels.
- Place the beef tongue in a large, tall stockpot and cover it with tap water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then meticulously skim off the gray foam on the surface with a slotted spoon until the liquid is clear.
- Cut a white onion in half and add it to the broth along with the white garlic cloves, crushed with the heel of your hand, dried bay leaves, black peppercorns, and fine sea salt. Lower the heat to very low to maintain a steady simmer, cover tightly, and cook for three to three and a half hours, until the blade of a knife slides easily into the center of the meat with no resistance.
- Use tongs to remove the beef tongue from the simmering broth and place it on a cutting board. As soon as it is cool enough to handle but still steaming hot, make a shallow slit in the thick, rough white skin and pull firmly with your fingers to peel it off completely. Trim away any excess fat and the cartilage at the base as well.
- Strain a ladle of the cooking broth through a fine mesh strainer and set it aside. Cut the still warm tongue into even dice of about one centimeter, mixing the marbled tip and the tender base.
- Heat the high-oleic sunflower oil in a cast iron skillet or on a griddle over high heat. Toss in the diced meat and sear for two minutes until it sizzles loudly, then drizzle with a splash of the reserved broth to create steam that glazes and tenderizes the meat.
- Heat the nixtamalized white corn tortillas in a hot, dry skillet for thirty seconds per side, until they become very pliable, puff up slightly, and release a toasted corn aroma.
- Arrange the steaming diced tongue in the center of the warm, doubled corn tortillas. Chop the second white onion and the fresh cilantro, then sprinkle them over the meat. Top with Mexican tomatillo salsa verde, drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice, and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 750 kcal
- Protein
- 50.7 g
- Carbohydrate
- 96.89 g
- Fat
- 20.44 g
- Fibre
- 9.7 g
- Calcium
- 80.28 mg
- Iron
- 2.04 mg
- Magnesium
- 50.3 mg
