Beef Tacos Dorados

Recipe from Camelia Valdivia Carnero

Adapted by Kristina Felix

Updated May 26, 2026

  • Andrew Bui for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
Media 1 of 2
Ready In
1 hr 10 min
Rating
4(12)
Comments
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Crispy tacos dorados are standard weeknight fare all over the U.S. and Mexico, though every cook seems to take a slightly different approach to the recipe. This version comes from Camelia Valdivia Carnero, whose family has lived in the town of Ojinaga in Chihuahua, Mexico, for six generations. Instead of cooking the filling, crisping tortillas separately to create shells and then stuffing them, many locals there collapse the process into one simple method. Seasoned beef goes straight on a tortilla and is fried in oil until the shell is crisp and the beef is cooked through. No crumbly beef falls from your taco here; instead, an albondiga-like filling keeps these deliciously crispy packages intact, and a jalapeño-forward salsa de molcajete cuts through the richness with bright heat. To complete your meal the way generations of Ojinagans have, pair tacos dorados with a classic sopa de fideo. For a traditional vegetarian option, you can also fill tortillas with lightly seasoned mashed potatoes and, using the same technique, fry until golden.

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Ingredients

Yield:Makes 16 tacos

For the Salsa (or use 1 cup store-bought salsa taquera)

  • 1 garlic clove, peeled

  • Fine salt or food-safe rock salt

  • 6 jalapeños

  • 2 plum tomatoes

For the Tacos

  • 16 corn tortillas (see Tips)

  • Vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower, for shallow-frying

  • 1 pound ground beef

  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 2 teaspoons seasoned garlic salt or 1½ teaspoons garlic salt

  • ½ cup chopped cilantro, tender leaves and stems (not packed)

  • 1 large ripe Hass avocado

  • 2 plum tomatoes, sliced into half-moons 

  • ¼ small green cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)

  • Crema or sour cream, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the salsa: Place garlic on a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium-high until it chars in spots, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a molcajete (mortar) or blender along with a teaspoon of salt.  

  2. Step 2

    Add the jalapeños and tomatoes to the hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and charred all over, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board. When the tomatoes and chiles are cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes, peel off as much of the charred skin as you can and discard the skin, seeds and stems. 

    1. Step 3

      If using a molcajete, pound the garlic and salt to a paste with the tejolote (pestle). Add the jalapeños and crush them until they’ve broken down and look juicy. Add the tomatoes and continue to mash everything until the salsa is spoonable. (If using a blender, add the tomatoes and chiles to the jar with the salt and garlic and pulse to a spoonable consistency.) Taste for salt, transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.

    1. Step 4

      Make the tacos: Separate the corn tortillas if they’re stuck together. If they’re brittle, stack them, wrap in a damp paper towel, set on a plate belly up (see Tips), and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until warm and pliable. 

    1. Step 5

      Make sure your cast-iron skillet is clean and dry, then pour in enough oil to reach a depth of ½ inch. Heat over medium until it reaches 350 degrees or a small piece of tortilla sizzles when dropped in the oil, about 6 minutes.

    1. Step 6

      While the oil heats, assemble the tacos: Add the beef, black pepper, garlic salt and cilantro to a bowl and mix with your hands until the cilantro is evenly distributed. Spread a generous tablespoon of beef on half of a tortilla, belly up (see Tips), leaving a ¼-inch border, but don’t fold it just yet. Place it flat on a sheet pan or cutting board and repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, overlapping them but keeping the beef uncovered. 

    1. Step 7

      To fry the tacos, place a large bowl lined with paper towels near where you are frying. Take one filled tortilla and fold it in half. Hold the upper part between your thumb and middle finger, using your pointer finger to create a small gap between the two sides of the tortilla. Place the seam of the tortilla into the hot oil and hold it there until the tortilla seam softens, about 5 seconds, then carefully lay the folded tortilla into the oil, beef side down, to finish frying. Repeat with as many tacos as fit comfortably in your pan and cook until the undersides of the first batch are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the tacos and cook until crispy and golden, another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the fried tacos to the bowl, standing them vertically so any oil drains downward. Repeat until all the tacos are fried. 

    2. Step 8

      To serve, cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Arrange the avocado halves, tomato and cabbage on a plate with a spoon so that everyone can open their tacos and scoop a bit inside. Serve with plenty of salsa de molcajete on the side and crema if desired.

    Tips

    • Look for corn tortillas that contain only 2 ingredients: corn and lime. Tortillas with added gums will not fry up as crispy, though the tacos will still be delicious.

    • Tortillas have a belly and a back, the belly generally shows oven lines more prominently and has a thinner skin that might pucker. Fill tortillas on the side with the thinner skin so they don’t crack when you fold them.

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    Ratings

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    12 user ratings
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    Comments

    marksmans

    Reading through this recipe, which sounds delicious and which I will attempt, makes me wish for a video guide! This seems to be a lot about technique, less about ingredients which are straightforward.

    Pam Pierce

    Sure hope we can get a video of this recipe being prepared . . .

    Bonnie

    Yes! Video please. It’s not clear how to put the “seam” into the hot oil when your fingers are holding that seam…?

    Catherine Murray

    For all the readers asking for a video you can help yourselves a couple of ways: 1. Go and look at the pictures in the article. The pictures show you what the tortilla looks like with the beef spread on half and it shows you how to put the folded tortilla in the oil to fry it. 2. Google (or use any search engine) Taco Dorado. While this recipe is unique to this preparation, Taco Dorado as a preparation can be seen in many locations, including some with videos.

    cpTucson

    I make these in a rectangular electric skillet. I put the whole tortilla in oil and fold over once softened using a turner. I can fry 7 at a time which cuts my cooking time. these are so much better than frying shells and filling with prepared meat.

    Gina

    Cabbage is hard to digest for a lot of people including my So.Cal. Mexican-Am family. We use lettuce. Adding small-diced potato to the beef is a big-family stretch and delicious. You can also use toothpicks to close up your tortilla. They are easy to remove after frying.

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