The Simple Topping To Give Your Tacos A Tangy Kick

From cilantro and onion at your authentic neighborhood Mexican restaurant to street tacos with wasabi peas and chicharrones at a food truck, tacos are certainly one of the most customizable foods. Toppings can add heat, creaminess or brightness, such as Sriracha crema or avocado salsa.

Before figuring out what you want to top your taco with, start with the essential components: tortillas, meat, and seasonings. Eduardo Ruiz, executive chef at L.A.'s Chicas Tacos and director of F&B at BLVD Companies, told My Recipes to skip the tortillas sold at the grocery store, and instead go to a tortilleria (a business that makes and sells tortillas) or try to make them yourself. 

While ground beef and chicken are the meats most often preferred by home chefs and fast food chains for tacos, there are many more options, from shrimp to chorizo and pulled pork to plant-based meat. For a traditional ground beef filling, How to Cook Guides recommends 5 ounces of ground beef per person. 

There's also no need to buy taco seasoning packets at the store when you probably have all of the ingredients in your own spice rack. McCormick recommends using paprika, garlic powder, ground cumin, onion powder, chili powder, oregano leaves, sea salt, and corn starch to make a taco seasoning blend.

Once you make your tasty tacos, top it off with a little tang with picked red onions — a taste to complement any meat filling.

A description on All Recipes states pickled red onions are easy to make and add a tangy element to whatever you add them to, especially rich foods. The leftover pickling liquid can also get reused to make dressings or marinades according to All Recipes. Pickled red onions are especially good on tacos, carnitas, hot dogs, and avocado toast.

To make pickled red onion, the recipe calls for red onions, garlic cloves, jalapeño pepper, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and black peppercorns (per All Recipes).

Creating the pickled red onions involves only a few steps. According to Delish, put a sliced onion in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour the liquid over the onion in the jar and let cool to room temperature before closing the jar with the lid and putting it in the refrigerate for a minimum of two hours. 

Next time you make tacos, don't stop at spicy and crunchy when adding toppings. Instead, add a little tang to tickle your taste buds.