Steak Tacos with Cranberry Salsa Recipe - Sweetphi (2024)

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Happy Taco Tuesday! We’re celebrating taco tuesday with this delicious steak stacos with cranberry salsa recipe! These are super unique and so tasty.

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Last week I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something super special: visit a cranberry marsh! If you follow me on instagram (@philiakelnhofer) you wouldhave seen lots of behind the scenes of my day spent learning about how cranberries are harvested.

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Not only did I get to learn about how cranberries are harvested, but I got to learn about how they are FRESH harvested, something super unique and a LOT different than 95% of the cranberries on the market (which get processed immediately into frozen/concentrate/juices/dried cranberries, etc), and I’m so excited to share this post with you through my partnership with theWisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.

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My husband and I spent the day with Ray, a fourth-generation cranberry grower and CEO at Habelman Bros. Cranberries(responsible for 1/3 of the fresh cranberries in the world).

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I learned:

  • Cranberries are grown on a VINE in the ground and that they’re perennials. Meaning, a vine is planted and then it comes back year after year! Vines last upwards of 100 years.
  • The cranberry vines need a lot of pollination, so they rent a lot of honeybees to help the process
  • You know they’re ripe when they start turning red
  • Fresh harvesting is a lot different that what you may think or have seen on commercials
  • They start by flooding the cranberry beds with 6-8 inches of water
  • The cranberries float, but do not come off the vines.
  • They bring in harvesting machines that gently comb the cranberries off the vines
  • The berries are then put into silver tubs
  • The tubs are brought to the edge of the marsh, and then picked up by a truck, and then they are transported to the processing facility where they are dried until they’re ready for processing.

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I was awed at how much care goes into the fresh harvesting of cranberries, and how much love Ray had for the fruit.

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I took so many photos that I am going to be sharing another post with all the photos, otherwise I wouldn’t have a chance to talk to you guys about the amazing cranberry salsa and these steak tacos.

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Really quickly though, I have a funny story: we were sent home with a super generous box of fresh cranberries. I asked Ray to stand there and hold them so I could take a picture, and he obliged. We then got home and my husband went to pick up the crate of cranberries he said“Phi, these are SOheavy, I can’t believe you made him hold them for so long” lol! A big thank you to Ray for having us and indulging me in my picture taking.

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Ok, soooo… thesesteak tacos with cranberry salsa, I gotta tell you, they’rereally delicious.

Steak Tacos with Cranberry Salsa Recipe - Sweetphi (9)

I’ve been digging unique tacos – like these Korean beef bbq tacos, or these slow roasted chicken tacos – and now these steak tacos with cranberry salsa, tacos are where it’s at!

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The fresh cranberry salsa really makes the recipe. You start by making the cranberry salsa, it’s almost like a pico de gallo recipe, but a little finer, and has a great tangy flavor (thanks to the fresh cranberries). Then you make a flank steak which is simply cooked in a skillet, but is seasoned with brown sugar, cumin, and chili powder which makes it super flavorful. To assemble the tacos you add the steak, cranberry salsa, some queso fresco and fresh cilantro to a tortilla, and voila!

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Next time you’re in the mood for a unique Taco Tuesday recipe, make these steak tacos with cranberry salsa!

Other recips you might enjoy:

  • Quick and Easy Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
  • 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Tacos
  • Easy Grilled Steak and Chimichurri

Steak Tacos with Cranberry Salsa Recipe - Sweetphi (12)

Happy Taco Tuesday! We’re celebrating taco tuesday with this delicious steak stacos with cranberry salsa recipe! These are super unique and so tasty.

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 tacos, serves 4-5

Ingredients

  • For the steak:
  • 1.5 lb. flank steak trimmed and patted dry
  • 3 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • For the fresh cranberry salsa:
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro about 1/2 of a big bunch
  • 1 large tomato cored, cut into 4
  • 1 jalapeno stem removed and seeded
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1/2 of a lime juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • For the tacos
  • 10 small tortillas
  • 2 oz queso fresco crumbled (or feta or cheese of choice)
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Instructions

For the steak:

  • Pat steak dry with a paper towel. In a bowl combine brown sugar, cumin, chili powder and garlic salt and press 1/2 of the seasoning mixture onto the steak.

  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat the vegetable oil for 30 seconds. Put the flank steak, seasoning side down into the skillet. Pour remaining seasoning over the unseasoned side and press down. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes, or until desired level of steak doneness is achieved with a meat thermometer. Mine was at 155 when I took it off the heat, for medium. Remove the skillet from heat, and allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into thin slices.

For the fresh cranberry salsa:

  • Combine all the ingredient for the salsa in a food processor and process for 10 seconds, until ingredients are chopped. Scrape down sides and process for another 5 seconds, or until no more large pieces of any single ingredient remain. Remove blade and then let salsa sit for 5 minutes, after 5 minutes drain off excess liquid.

  • To assemble the tacos place 2 thin slices of steak in a tortilla and spoon a tablespoon or two of the cranberry salsa on, sprinkle with a pinch of cheese and a few fresh cilantro leaves, then enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 708kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 1136mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g

This post is brought to you by my partnership the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association.Thank you for supporting the brands thatmake the Sweetphi blog possible, as always, all thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

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Steak Tacos with Cranberry Salsa Recipe - Sweetphi (2024)

FAQs

Should you cut steak before cooking tacos? ›

For tacos, it is recommended to slice the steak into thin strips, approximately ¼ to ½ inch thick. Thin slices will cook quickly and make it easier to bite into the taco without the steak falling out.

What is a steak taco made of? ›

Cut the steak into strips, against the grain. Place steak strips in the corn tortillas and top with red onion, avocado, cilantro, and queso fresco. Drizzle with chimichurri, if desired. Squeeze with lime juice, if desired.

What is the best steak for tacos? ›

Flank steak is one of the most well-known kinds for anything that requires thin steaks. This thin cut works well for slicing, as required for tacos and fajitas. It's also relatively affordable compared to top-of-the-line steaks like ribeye and New York strip.

What to season steak with? ›

There are many spices available for seasoning a steak, with salt and pepper topping the list. However, other spices, like thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and minced onion, are also good options to enhance your steak's flavor. Or, use a one-and-done approach with Chicago Steak Seasoning.

Do you drain steak taco meat? ›

It would depend on the meat. A high fat ground beef or pork butt might be better if drained, while skirt steak or turkey need all the fat they can get.

What side dishes go with steak tacos? ›

The best side dishes to serve with steak tacos are guacamole, refried beans, pico de gallo, pineapple salsa, churros, cheese dip, tostilocos, Spanish rice, taco casserole, birria quesadillas, corn salad, Mexican street corn, spicy pickled carrots, jicama slaw, loaded nachos, and chiles rellenos.

What is the difference between fajitas and steak tacos? ›

Fajita meat is always grilled, in contrast to tacos, where the filling is more variable and could also be braised or fried. Tortillas and other toppings come on the side — the tortillas tend to be flour (sometimes called wheat) but this isn't a firm rule; there's nothing stopping you from using corn ones.

Should I cut steak before or after cooking it? ›

You can cut slice the meat into strips before or after cooking it. The grain is harder to see once it's cooked, but it's still there! You can cut slice the meat into strips before or after cooking it. The grain is harder to see once it's cooked, but it's still there!

Should I cut up steak before or after cooking? ›

Don't slice the meat into strips until you are ready to cook it. Pre-slicing will increase its surface area, increasing oxidation, which can cause the meat to discolor or develop livery off-flavors.

Should I cut my carne asada before or after cooking? ›

After the carne asada is grilled, it is important to let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing or chopping. While the steak cooks, the juices are forced away from the heat to the middle of the meat. The resting time allows for the redistribution and reabsorption of the juices throughout the whole steak.

Do you cut up carne asada before or after cooking? ›

  1. It depends on what result you want, but the usual answer is "after."
  2. Cutting meat is all about the tradeoff between browning on the outside and tenderness on the inside. ...
  3. Carne asada in particular is usually made with thin pieces of skirt steak, which is a cut of meat that gets jaw-numbingly chewy if it's overcooked.
May 21, 2015

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