Easy authentic Mexican food: Shredded beef tostadas recipe with avocado, pickled jalapeños & crispy tortillas

Salpicón de res reminds me of my mother. I would always get excited whenever she said “Tomorrow, we are having salpicón,” because it meant two things.

First, besides enjoying salpicón for lunch, it meant we were going to also enjoy Sopa de migas, one of my favourites!

Second, as I was going to help her shred the meat, I knew I would get to taste it while shredding! It is a dish made with cold, slow-cooked, pulled meat that is pickled in white vinegar. Tangy, juicy meat — yum!

It’s important to remember that because this dish is served cold, it takes a bit of planning to get the meat cooked and shredded.

Salpicón de res tostadas (Pickled Beef Tostadas)

Serves: 2 (for dinner) or 6 (as a starter)

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 1½ hours

Dietaries: Gluten free

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

• 500g beef flank steak or brisket
• 600g beef bones
• 1 large brown onion, quartered
• 10 peppercorns
• ½ tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 60 ml olive oil
• 90 ml white vinegar
• 30g coriander leaves
• 3 radishes, thinly sliced
• 100g tomatoes, diced
• 50g queso fresco, crumbled (in Australia you can substitute La Casa del Formaggio brand’s Homestyle Fresh Cheese, otherwise use Indian paneer cheese)
• 6 fried Tostadas
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Chiles en escabeche (see recipe below)

Method

1. Place the flank steak and bones in a saucepan with 2 litres (8 cups) of water.
2. Add the onion, peppercorns, oregano, garlic, bay leaves and salt and bring to the boil over medium– low heat.
3. Simmer, half-covered, for 90 minutes.
4. Check the meat to see if it is tender, otherwise cook a bit longer. You can do the same in a pressure cooker and cook for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the flank steak and discard the bones.
6. Let the flank steak cool until you are able to touch it.
7. In a large bowl, pull it to shreds with your hands, then add the oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Mix well. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
9. Add the coriander, radish, tomato and crumbled cheese.
10. Toss gently to coat everything in the meat dressing.
11. Allow the salpicón mixture to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12. After marinating, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. To assemble, spread a layer of the salpicón mixture onto each tostada.
13. Top with avocado and, if you like a bit of heat, add chiles en escabeche.
14. Serve immediately, as they will get soggy if you leave them too long! You can also place all the toppings in the centre of the table and each person can build the tostadas themselves.

Making the tostadas

Makes: 8

Preparation time: Nil

Cook time: 10–20 minutes

Dietaries: Gluten free, vegan

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 8 stale corn tortillas
• 300ml vegetable oil (if frying)

Method

1. Use stale tortillas that are 2–3 days old (if they are fresh they will create vapour and puff up).
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan over medium–high heat, or heat in a deep-fryer to 180C.
3. I use a thermometer to test the oil, but if a piece of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds, the oil is the correct temperature.
4. Fry one side of the tostada and flip quickly (the tostadas will bend and be harder to garnish if kept too long on one side).
5. Keep frying until they are golden brown and crispy; this will take about 4 minutes. Flip the tostadas a couple of times.
6. Another option is to bake the tostadas.
7. Place the tortillas on one or two baking trays with baking paper.
8. Preheat the oven to 160C. Cover the tortillas with a sheet of baking paper and a second tray on top so they do not bend up.
9. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the tray that is sitting on top of the tortillas and flip the tostadas.
11. Bake for another 5 minutes until they are golden brown. If the tostadas are not crunchy yet, bake for a few minutes more.
12. Let them cool down before storing in a sealed container. You can make tostadas in advance, and they will keep crunchy for a day or two.

Chiles en escabeche (Pickled Jalapeños)

Makes: About 2kg

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Dietaries: Gluten free, vegan

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

• 100ml olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 onion, cut into wedges
• 500g jalapeños, quartered lengthways
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
• ¼ cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 300g zucchini (courgette), sliced
• 500ml white vinegar
• 35g salt
• 2 teaspoons white (granulated) sugar
• 2 tablespoons peppercorns
• 5 dried bay leaves
• 8 whole cloves
• 6 to 8 sterilised jars, about 500ml in size, with lids (see tip)

Method

• You will need a large saucepan or stockpot (about 4 litres) for making escabeche.
• Heat the oil in the saucepan over high heat until hot. Fry the garlic and onion for 3 minutes.
• Remove from the saucepan and transfer to a bowl. Fry the jalapeños, carrot and cauliflower for 3 minutes.
• Add the zucchini and cook for another 2 minutes (the chillies and veggies just need to be sauteed).
• Add the vinegar, salt, sugar, fried onion, garlic and spices to the vegetable mix and cook for 3 minutes with the lid on.
• Reduce the heat to a slow simmer.
• Cook for another 3 minutes, then turn the heat on. Fill the sterilised jars when the mix is still boiling hot.
• Secure the lids and cool upside down. They will keep unopened for a year in a cool, dark place.
• After opening, store in the fridge for up to 1 month. Serve chiles en escabeche in a small bowl. That’s it, nothing fancy.

TIP: To sterilise jars, wash them and their lids in the dishwasher on the hottest cycle.

Mexican-Australian chef Daniella Muñoz runs Adelaide’s La Popular Taqueria and is the author of Provecho: Real Mexican Food At Home. She shared this recipe on The Morning Show. Watch Sunrise from 5.30am weekdays and Weekend Sunrise from 7am Saturday and Sunday or catch up anytime on 7plus.