Taco Recipes & Mocktails

Tasty tacos are an easy Mexican-inspired feast for everyone to enjoy. They are the perfect meal for teenagers to help prepare and great fun for all to assemble and eat. Pack your tortillas with delicious fillings, including smoky aubergine & black bean, chicken & corn, spicy prawns and fresh crab. Or choose your own fillings, you can use anything you want.

Pair them with our family-friendly mocktails below.

Charred Corn & Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 tbsp chipotle sauce
3 limes
3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
2 sweetcorn cobs
8 small or 4 large, soft corn tortillas
2 ripe avocados, sliced
2 cooked free-range chicken breasts, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
150g cherry tomatoes, halved
Handful fresh coriander leaves

Method

Heat a griddle pan to high. In a small bowl, mix the oil, paprika, chipotle sauce and the finely grated zest and juice of 1½ limes. Transfer 2 tbsp to a separate bowl and mix with the mayo to make a dressing. Set aside.

When the griddle pan is hot, brush each cob with some chipotle and lime mixture. Cook, turning and basting with the rest of the chipotle and lime mixture until beginning to char on all sides (10-15 minutes). Once cool enough to handle, hold each cob vertically on a secure chopping board and carefully slice down the sides with a sharp knife to remove the kernels.

Warm the tortillas in the griddle pan for 1-2 minutes. Top with avocado, chicken, spring onions, tomatoes, charred corn, a spoonful of dressing and a few coriander leaves. Serve with the remaining limes, cut into wedges, for squeezing.

Crab Tacos

Ingredients

50ml mayonnaise
200g brown crabmeat
Juice ½ lime
1 small fennel bulb, very finely sliced
½ cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and sliced
Small bunch fresh chives, finely chopped
Small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced
300g white crabmeat

For the tomato salsa
200g cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ red onion, very finely diced
Juice 1 lime
Handful fresh mint, finely chopped
Coriander and mint leaves to garnish and lime wedges to serve

Method

Mix all the filling ingredients except the white crabmeat, then taste and season. Mix all the ingredients for the salsa in a bowl and season well.

To assemble, fill a tortilla with some of the filling mixtures, then top with some white crab meat and a dollop of salsa. Garnish with a few herb leaves, then roll up the tortilla.

Spicy Prawn Tacos

Ingredients

For the spicy prawns:
500 g prawns deveined and peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime/lemon juice
2 tsp taco seasoning
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chilli flakes / red pepper flakes
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp salt

For the tacos:
flour/corn tortillas heated, cabbage shredded, avocado sliced, fresh coriander, sliced chillies

For the taco sauce:
1 cup sour cream, ½ cup coriander finely chopped, 1 garlic clove crushed, salt and pepper to taste

Method

Place the prawns in a large bowl and add the oil, lemon/lime juice and spices. Mix well to coat the prawns in the spices and set aside.
Make the taco sauce by combining all the ingredients.

Cook the prawns in a large, hot pan or griddle pan for 1-2 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden brown on both sides.

Assemble the tacos by topping warmed tortillas with shredded cabbage, sliced avocado, spicy prawns and sour cream sauce. Finish with fresh coriander and finely sliced chillies.

Smoky pulled aubergine & black bean tacos

Ingredients

2 aubergines
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 bay leaf
½ tsp cumin seeds, 1 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1 tbsp tomato purée
400g fresh tomatoes, chopped, pinch dried oregano or thyme
½ tsp chilli powder, pinch chilli flakes
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 x 400g cans black beans, 1 drained and rinsed
½ lime, juiced, plus wedges to serve
8 small tortillas, warmed
small bunch of coriander , leaves picked, 50g feta cheese, crumbled
½ iceberg lettuce, shredded, pink pickled onions, to serve

Method

Prick the aubergines all over with a fork, then set over a medium gas flame (or under the grill) and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until blackened and collapsing, about 20-25 mins. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool. Peel the skin from the cooled aubergines or scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Try to remove most of the skin, but don’t worry if a few flecks remain.

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan with the bay leaf and cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add the onion and garlic. Fry for about 5 mins until fragrant but not coloured, then stir in the tomato purée and cook it down for a couple of mins.

Add the tomatoes and dried oregano, and cook for a few mins more until they have collapsed into the sauce. Add the aubergine flesh, chilli powder, chilli flakes and vinegar, and cook, stirring, for 1 min, then tip in the cans of black beans, one drained and one still with its liquid. Squeeze over a little of the lime juice and cook for 5 mins until reduced and bubbling, then transfer to the oven and roast for 15-20 mins until deep, dark and fully reduced.

Season with more lime juice, if you like, and spoon the aubergine mixture into the warm tortillas with the coriander, crumbled feta, lettuce and pink pickled onions to serve

Mocktails

Peach Iced Tea

Ingredients:
200g granulated sugar
5 ripe peaches, 4 stoned and chopped, 1 sliced to serve
4 tea bags

Method:
Tip the sugar into a pan with 250ml water. Bring to the boil slowly, ensuring the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the chopped peaches and cook until very soft. Remove from the heat, mash the peaches with a fork, and leave to infuse for 1 hr.

Sieve the syrup through a fine sieve into a jug, mashing the fruit to release all the liquid. The syrup will keep in the fridge for one week.

Put the teabags in a large heatproof jug and pour over 2 litres of boiling water. Leave to steep for 4 mins, then carefully remove the teabags. Leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge until chilled.

Stir the peach syrup into the iced tea with some ice, or pour a little of the syrup into tall glasses and add the tea. Top up with more water, sparkling water or ice. Add peach slices to serve.

 

Ginger Beer

Ingredients:
200g ginger, thickly sliced
2 large lemons, peeled and juiced
75g golden caster sugar
100g light brown muscovado sugar
ice
1-litre soda or sparkling water
mint sprigs, to serve

Method:
Put the ginger in a saucepan set over low heat with the lemon peel, sugars and 500ml water and stir until the sugars have dissolved. Increase the heat to medium, then simmer for 15-20 mins, or until reduced and syrupy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.

Strain the syrup into a jug through a sieve lined with muslin. At this stage, you can transfer the syrup to a small sterilised bottle or jar and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Pour the ginger syrup into a large serving jug. Tip in the lemon juice, fill with ice and top up with the soda water. Serve garnished with a few mint sprigs.

 

Apple, Elderflower and Mint Sparkle

Ingredients:
75ml elderflower cordial
1l cloudy apple juice
small handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped
bottle sparkling water

Method:
Mix elderflower cordial with cloudy apple juice. Add a small handful of mint leaves, stir well, then pour into a jug/bottle and put it in the fridge.

When you are ready to serve. Pour half glasses of the juice and top up with sparkling water.