Fact: every day is a good taco day.

I decided to invite some family over for a last minute Memorial Day bbq, and poked through my fridge to see what I could whip up. I had some frozen corn, dried ancho chiles, onion, bell peppers, avocados, corn tortillas, and limes, so I figured I could easily marinate some steak for tacos!

Unfortunately I don’t have any photos of the marinade, but trust me when I say it is delicious.

You will need:

• 6 dried ancho chiles
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 avocados
• 1 bag of frozen corn
• 2 limes
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• queso fresco
• 3 jalapenos
• 2 pounds steak, preferably flank
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano (preferably Mexican)
• salt and pepper

Soak the dried ancho chiles in boiling water for about 20 minutes. Once they’re soft and deep red, remove the stems and seeds. Add the rehydrated chiles to a food processor, along with half of an onion, vegetable oil, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until you’ve got a smooth marinade, and marinate the steak for at least one hour, but preferably overnight.

For the relish, turn your broiler on and let your oven get nice and hot. Defrost the corn by covering with water and draining well, and then toss lightly with vegetable oil. Line a baking sheet and spread the corn in an even layer, and then place it under your broiler until it gets a little color/char – about 10-15 minutes.

Finely chop up half of your onion, the bell pepper, and the jalapeños. If you’re sensitive to spicy food, make sure to remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeños. Dice your avocados (this is the best time to use the ones that aren’t quite ripe yet!) and add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper, along with the chile powder, and the juice of two limes. Gently toss everything (to avoid mashing the avocado) and then crumble half a block of queso fresco into the mixture. Taste again to make sure it’s seasoned to your liking and set it aside while you cook your steak!

If you don’t have a grill, you could just cook your steak on a stovetop. Flank steak is preferable since it’s thin and cooks quickly, but my grocery store was all out by the time I went.

Cook your steak until it’s just done, it should only be a few minutes on each side. Let the steak rest for a few minutes and then chop into small pieces.

Tacos, assemble!

Not a shabby spread. Enjoy!