Tacos de Lengua en Salsa Martajada
Beef Tongue Tacos with Salsa Martajada
Recipe Yield
16 to 18 tacos
Cooking time
4 hours
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Ingredients
For the tongue:
- 1 whole beef tongue about 3 to 4 pounds, rinsed in cold water
- 1 head of garlic outer dry peel removed, horizontally halved
- 1 white onion outer peel removed, halved
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt plus more for seasoning
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
For the salsa:
- 1 pound ripe roma tomatoes
- ¼ pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
- 1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano chiles stemmed
- 1 garlic clove unpeeled
- ¼ white onion
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
For the tacos:
- 16 to 18 corn tortillas
- 1 ripe avocado halved, pitted and sliced
- ½ cup finely chopped white onion
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves and upper part of stems coarsely chopped
To Prepare
Cook the tongue:
- Place the tongue, garlic, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, marjoram, thyme, oregano and 1 tablespoon salt in a soup pot or casserole pan and cover with water.
- Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer covered with a tight-fitting lid for 4 to 5 hours, checking halfway through and adding more hot water if needed to keep the tongue mostly covered. It’s done when the tongue is completely tender, soft, and a small knife inserts easily. Turn off heat.
Make the salsa:
- Toast the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeño or serrano, garlic and onion on a preheated comal or skillet for about 15 minutes, flipping as necessary, until soft and completely charred on all sides. Alternatively, you can place the ingredients on a baking sheet and broil for about 10 to 12 minutes, flipping as needed, until completely charred. Carefully remove the garlic and the chiles, if they are ready before the tomatoes, tomatillos and onion.
- Peel the garlic when cool enough to handle and transfer all the ingredients to the blender, along with the salt and chipotle in adobo and pulse until well blended, but still with a coarse and chunky texture. Alternatively, you can mash the salsa in a molcajete.
- Clean and slice the tongue: Remove the tongue from the broth and place on a chopping board. It’s easier to clean the tongue while still warm. Using a small sharp knife and your hands, remove the outer layer of skin, as well as the bottom part of the tongue, which would attach it to the mouth, as it tends to be harder and greasy. Cut into 1/4-inch slices.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large casserole pan over high heat. Add the sliced tongue and sear for half a minute or so before flipping, then sear another half minute or so. Reduce heat to medium and add the salsa. Let it cook at a medium simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Make the tacos:
- Heat the corn tortillas on a preheated comal over medium heat. Make sure the tortillas are thoroughly heated and lightly browned on both sides. Wrap in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm, or place in a tortilla warmer.
- To assemble the tacos, ladle a generous amount of tongue in salsa into the middle of a tortilla and garnish with avocado slices and fresh chopped onion and cilantro.
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