My cookbook is here! 
The magnificent combination of well seasoned steak, a flavor packed salsa and a spicy crema sauce.
These tacos have swiftly become our new Tuesday favorites. The steak is generously seasoned to perfection with some brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin. My motto is to feel it and sprinkle it. That brown sugar sweetness is optional but I would never leave it out. It levels up the taste so much.
The corn salsa is also ideal using some avocado, jalapeño, scallions, cilantro, lime and garlic. I used flour tortillas because that’s what we had on hand. But feel free to use the smaller corn tortillas, which would make this dish gluten free. Make sure you heat them up in a mini oven or on a pan.
The sauce is key, do not skip it! I used mayonnaise but you can sub in Greek yogurt to keep it lighter and healthier. Add the hot sauce Sriracha accordingly to your palate. Some like it hotter than others.
Thank you for swinging by Hungry Happens. If you create these tacos, or any other one of our recipes, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to comment and rate the dish. LOVE YOUR LIFE!
Steak Tacos with Corn Salsa
Ingredients
Steak:
- 2 lbs top sirloin steak tips, sliced into thin strips
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tbs olive oil, divided
Corn Salsa:
- 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 3 scallions, diced
- 1 tbs jalapeño, fine chop
- 1 small clove garlic, crushed
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 large lime, zested + juiced
Crema:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 3 tbs lime juice
- 1-2 tsp Sriracha sauce
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper, to taste
Assembly:
- 12 small corn tortillas
- 4 oz Cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Salsa:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl.
Crema:
- Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Steak:
- Rub your steak pieces with the seasonings (generously) and brown sugar.
- Heat up 1 tbs oil in your pan. Work in two batches and cook the meat for a few minutes per side. They are thin so don't over cook them. Remove the pieces and heat the second tablespoon oil and cook the next batch of strips.
Assembly:
- Heat your corn tortillas and then assemble tacos first with steak, then with corn salsa, next with some crema and lastly with some cotija cheese.
These are 100% the best tacos I’ve had in my entire life. I have made them 30 times over the last maybe 2 years. The crema is PHENOMENAL!!! I’ve made a few and nothing else compares. I’ve brought this everywhere. It was also good with chicken, and when in a pinch with time we skipped the corn salsa, but that’s great too! I was curious- i recently had a crema enchilada at our local restaurant, and wondered if you think this would be good as an enchilada base or if you’ve ever tried it? Thinking about making a large batch and giving it a go 🙂
Hi Mia, that sounds amazing – I think it will be on the blog soon!
I made the corn salsa and the crema to go along with a different taco. Everyone loooooooooved those!!! So yummy! Can’t wait until fresh corn season!! Keepers for sure. I will try this steak taco for sure next cuz the sides are the bomb!
SO GOOD! I’ve made this twice now and the recipe is perfect exactly as is! Wouldn’t change a thing! For how simple the corn salsa was, I was not expecting it to be SO perfect. Such an excellent combo with the drizzle sauce and cotija! And for those asking- the brown sugar does not make the steak too sweet! It’s a great combo of flavors and would not suggest leaving it out! And the cotija is a must! Every step of this recipe is a must!
A huge hit with my teens.
These are absolutely, positively, undeniably delicious! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes. 😊
Hi Colleen, thanks for trying the recipes out!! Cheers!
Hi Stella. What is the spice amount for the steak meat. Am I missing something. 🤣🫢
HI , for this I just sprinkle on the spices until the color changes!! lol
I made this today as a salad (no salsa tho) including greens and quinoa. Just amazinggggggg! Love how the steak and the dressing. Thank you so much!!!!
Hi Min, sounds amazing! I’m glad you liked the tacos!
I made you recipe, but i used taco seasoning on steak because it was a long day. My crema didnt turn out as drizzly as yours looks, it was really thick, just like a mayo spread. I liked the corn salsa i added diced tomatoes to mine, but was not a fan of the frozen corn texture unthawed. I will sub fresh or maybe can corn next time see if i like texture better. Otherwise i liked the tacos, thank you!
Thanks for sharing your suggestions! And I’m happy you enjoyed the tacos!
We used fresh corn and it turned out great! Never tried it with the frozen corn, so I don’t know if it gives a different texture. My husband and son were eating it as a dip on chips while they waited for the tacos to be done.
Hi Stella!
The brown sugar adds such a delicious flavor profile. I use now all the time when I make steak tacos 🙂
HI Artemis! It really does make a big difference! Thank you for trying the recipe!
Absolutely loved this! Great flavors. Easy to make. Delicious! Thank you!
Hi Alison! Glad you enjoyed the tacos! And i agree with you – so simple to make makes the food experience even better!
Do you think I could substitute the steak for fish? It looks yummy
Hi Tara, depends on the fish. Go with a flakey white fish like halibut, cod or mahi mahi!
Does the brown sugar make the meat too sweet?
In my opinion it adds a yummy flavor, but you can leave it out if you prefer!
So. Good. Making it again this week. Sent it to a friend, who also made it. Her 16 year old son told her 36 times how much he loved it. We bought the cheese and corn tortillas from a local Mexican shop.
That is so awesome to read! And thank you for sharing the recipe with your friends! Thank you for rating too <3
Very much enjoyed. Mexican cheese basically like parmigian. Otherwise excellent. Saw it on TikTok
Hi Chris! Glad you liked the tacos.. and yes Cotija has a super similar taste to parmisian cheese. I love the aesthetic and the texture of it! Thank you for rating and commenting!