These easy steak elote tacos are topped with a fantastic Mexican street corn and served in corn tortillas for a flavorful take on street tacos! Make this street corn steak tacos recipe on the griddle or in a skillet for a fresh spin on Taco Tuesday!
It’s been a while since I made Mexican street corn on the griddle, but when my wife requested some steak tacos I immediately thought back to my favorite corn side dish.
I love corn elotes (or technically, it’s “esquites” when you cut it off the cob). And I love a good griddle steak. So when you combine the two together, you’ve got a delicious taco that will have your tastebuds doing the salsa!
Steak Elote Tacos Video
Ingredients
- steak – Use a tender cut that’s great for grilling like New York strip, ribeye, or sirloin.
- hot sauce – We used a small amount of hot sauce as a binder for the steak, but this is optional.
- all-purpose Mexican seasoning – Use your favorite Mexican seasoning like a fajita blend.
- tortillas – We prefer corn tortillas for taco recipes like this one, but you can use flour tortillas or even low carb if you wish.
- street taco toppings – Like Cotija cheese, finely chopped fresh cilantro, and crushed Flaming Hot Cheetos.
For the Mexican Street Corn:
- corn kernels – We used frozen, thawed corn kernels but you can substitute fresh corn cut off the cob. I definitely wouldn’t recommend using canned corn, however, because of the added moisture content.
- diced jalapeños – We like fresh finely diced jalapeños in this recipe for the added flavor and texture, but you can omit them if you wish.
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- Tajin seasoning – This is a classic Mexican street corn seasoning with a hint of lime flavor that pairs perfectly with corn esquites and elotes. Find it in the Hispanic aisle of most grocery stores, or substitute your favorite Mexican seasoning or chili powder.
- Cotija cheese – A dry, parmesan-like Mexican cheese that’s perfect for tacos.
- lime – We used the lime zest only to better control the consistency of our street corn since we were using it as a taco topping.
How to Make Steak Elotes Tacos
Step 1: Season the steak
Start by rubbing a very small amount of hot sauce on all sides of the steak. This acts as a binder and also adds extra Mexican flavor to your steak tacos. However, since the steak gets seared over high heat on the griddle or a skillet, don’t go overboard on the binder or you risk it burning during the searing process.
Next, sprinkle your steak with your chosen Mexican blend – fajita seasoning, taco spices, or a homemade concoction. Then allow the steak to rest for the seasonings to do their magic.
Step 2: Make the street corn
This street corn recipe is similar to corn esquites (corn off the cob), but with a few extra ingredients to up the flavor factor!
Start by charring the corn kernels and diced jalapenos on the griddle or in a skillet over medium-high heat. For best results, spread the corn out into a thin, even layer on the heated cooking surface and allow it to cook untouched for a few minutes to develop a nice char. Then start sautéing it together, and spread back out to cook another few minutes.
After about 5 minutes, or when the corn has some nice charred bits, add it to a bowl with the other Mexican street corn ingredients. Give it a good mix, allowing the heat of the corn to help loosen the mayo and sour cream mixture, and set to the side to use as your taco topping.
Step 3: Sear the steak
Next, sear the steak over medium high heat. Simply add a small amount of your favorite cooking oil to the hot griddle or skillet, and place the steak down, pressing down to ensure even searing.
Cook on the first side about 2-3 minutes, depending on the size of your steak and the temperature of your griddle.
Then flip to the second side and cook an additional 2 minutes. Continue flipping every 2 minutes until the steak is done to your liking.
*NOTE – After doing a ton of tests on how to cook steak on a griddle, we’ve found that a griddle temperature of about 425-450°F is best, along with flipping the steak every 2 minutes. This creates a great sear and helps prevent the meat from turning a grayish color as it cooks. The same applies to cooking steak in a skillet.
Be sure to cook your steak to your preferred temp. This is where a good instant read thermometer comes in handy! In fact, this is one of our must-have griddle accessories, whether you’re checking doneness on chicken breasts, steak, or pork.
Step 4: Cut the steak into bite-sized pieces
After the steak has rested about 5-10 minutes to lock in those juices, cut it into bite-sized pieces for your tacos.
Some people serve steak tacos with the steak sliced more like steak fajitas, but I recommend a small dice for the perfect bite. There’s nothing worse than biting into a taco and having all of the meat fall out.
Step 5: Assemble your steak and corn elote tacos
Next it’s time to build your delicious steak street corn tacos! Be sure to warm up the tortillas to make them pliable and less likely to tear. You can just heat them on the griddle or in the skillet, or wrap a few tortillas in paper towels and microwave for about 20 seconds.
Then pile your tortillas with some steak, a few spoonfuls of the Mexican street corn, and a sprinkle of Cotija cheese. You can also sprinkle on some crushed up Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or finely chopped cilantro. Or add some hot sauce or pickled jalapeños for even more heat.
*TIP – If you’re using corn tortillas, then I highly recommend stacking two tortillas on top of each other for each taco. Corn tortillas are much more susceptible to tearing, especially if you have a heavy hand when assembling your tacos, and the extra tortilla keeps your steak tacos from falling apart.
Pinterest User? Do us a favor and PIN this to your board for easy recipes to try! This is a GREAT way to support us!
Steak Elote Tacos
Ingredients
- 1-1½ lb steak like ribeye, NY strip, or sirloin
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce optional, to be used as a binder
- 1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning
- 12 corn tortillas taco-sized
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil for searing the steak
- crushed Flamin' Hot Cheetos, crumbled Cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, or pickled jalapeños for serving optional
For the Mexican Street Corn:
- 10 oz frozen corn kernels thawed and drained
- 1 jalapeno seeded and small diced
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 2 tablespoons Cotija cheese
- zest of ½ lime
- ½ tablespoon Tajin seasoning *or substitute your favorite Mexican seasoning
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Season the steak. Add about ½ tablespoon of hot sauce to each side of the steak, rubbing into a thin layer. Then sprinkle both sides of the steak with your Mexican seasoning. Set aside.
- Heat griddle or large skillet over medium heat.
- When griddle or skillet is hot, add about 1 tablespoon cooking oil. Add the thawed corn kernels and diced jalapeños to the hot cooking surface in a thin, even layer. Allow to cook untouched for 2-3 minutes to develop some char and color. Then sauté together briefly, and spread back out in a thin even layer to cook an additional 2-3 minutes until you have some nice char.
- While corn is cooking, add the mayo, sour cream, lime zest, Tajin seasoning, and Cotija cheese to a medium bowl and mix together well. Set aside.
- When corn and jalapeños are done cooking, add to the bowl with the other Mexican street corn ingredients. Fold together until well combined. Then fold in the chopped cilantro. Set aside.
- Adjust the griddle or skillet temperature to medium-high heat – about 425-450℉ for griddle cooking.
- When griddle or skillet is hot, add about 1 tablespoon cooking oil to the surface and spread it around with your spatula. Place the steak down on the hot surface, pressing down to ensure even searing. Sear the steak about 2-3 minutes on the first side untouched. Then flip to the next side and sear an additional 2 minutes. Continue searing the steak, flipping every 1-2 minutes for even heating, until done to your liking. *We cooked our steak to an internal temperature of about 130℉ for medium rare. Transfer the seared steak to a cutting board to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- After steak has rested, cut into bite-sized cubes.
- Warm the corn tortillas on the griddle or in the skillet, or wrap in paper towels and heat in the microwave for about 20 seconds to become pliable.
- Assemble steak elote tacos. Stack 2 corn tortillas on top of each other for each taco. Add some steak, a few spoonfuls of the Mexican street corn, and a sprinkle of Cotija cheese. You can also sprinkle on some crushed up Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or finely chopped cilantro. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- For Corn Tortillas – If you’re using corn tortillas, then I highly recommend stacking two tortillas on top of each other for each taco. Corn tortillas are much more susceptible to tearing, especially if you have a heavy hand when assembling your tacos, and the extra tortilla keeps your steak tacos from falling apart.
Get More Griddle Recipes!
Follow The Flat Top King on YouTube for more recipes and tips for mastering your griddle!