【Men's Kitchen】For Summer Parties! Enjoy Making Tacos with "Frozen Tortillas" Sold at the Wholesale Supermarket

I took on the challenge of making tacos using "frozen tortillas" sold at the wholesale supermarket that my friend recommended. If I master tacos for the summer, I might just be able to overcome the heat.

Enjoying a casual taco life with "Frozen Tortillas" from the business supermarket

Having heard good reviews about their taste, I wanted to try making my own tacos using the "Frozen Tortillas" (248 yen) sold at the business supermarket.

Tortillas are a type of flatbread that is cherished as a staple food in Mexico and Central South America. They are used as a base for tacos and burrito dishes.

These frozen tortillas can be eaten simply by heating them in a frying pan or microwave after thawing naturally.

I gathered ingredients to make a basic taco and a variation using shrimp and avocado. Since I'm making it intuitively based on my own image, the specific amounts are approximate.

Ingredients for Salsa Sauce
・Tomato
・Bell pepper
・Onion
・Lemon or lime (whichever you prefer)
・Shredded lettuce
・Ground beef
・Shrimp
・Avocado

Other seasonings include chili powder, salt, vinegar, grated garlic, ketchup, and mayonnaise.

Making the salsa sauce for tacos to suit my taste while cooking

The flavor of tacos is determined by the salsa sauce. First, chop the tomato, bell pepper, and onion. Seasoning is done with grated garlic, adding acidity with lemon or lime.

This time I'm using fresh tomatoes, but there's also the option of using canned diced tomatoes, and it seems the ingredients vary depending on personal preference.

I decided to taste and compare which one I prefer between lemon and lime.

Lemon has a familiar flavor and acidity, giving an easy-to-eat impression. On the other hand, lime has an authentic aroma and a refreshing acidity. I thought that lemon was easier to eat, so I decided to use lemon for the acidity. However, since the flavor became dull with just lemon compared to the amount of vegetables, I added salt and vinegar to adjust it for a stronger acidity.

The taco meat is simply stir-fried.

I will make the basic taco's main ingredient, taco meat. In my mind, I only have the image and knowledge of stir-frying ground meat with chili powder, so I decided to simply stir-fry it. Tacos are eaten by combining multiple ingredients, so I think it's good for each ingredient's flavor to be simple.

Heat oil and simply stir-fry garlic, ground meat, and chili pepper together. When I added ketchup somewhat randomly, the flavor came together. It’s recommended to use more chili pepper as it gives a suitable taste, and you hardly feel the spiciness.

Finish by heating the tortillas.

Take the tortillas out of the freezer and leave them at room temperature for 5 minutes. Once you can peel the tortillas that were stuck together in the freezer one by one, heat them on both sides for 30 seconds on low heat in a preheated frying pan, and they are ready. When I touched the tortillas, they had a chewy texture, and I thought that the soft feel of the dough might be the reason for their popularity.

In no time, the tacos are ready

Lay some shredded lettuce on the tortilla, add taco meat and salsa sauce, and it's done. When I took a bite, each ingredient matched perfectly with the sauce, resulting in an exquisite finish. Thanks to the instinctive simple preparation, the flavors didn't overpower each other, creating a taste very much like tacos.

The tortilla itself has a simple taste of wheat flour, but it still had that delightful chewy texture. This should be perfect for parties or camping during the hot season.

Surprisingly delicious! An upgraded version with shrimp and avocado

As a variation, I will make a version that combines shrimp and avocado with the earlier salsa sauce. I hope to create something reminiscent of Subway's shrimp avocado as I work on it.

First, as a preparation for the shrimp, sprinkle potato starch to remove dirt, wash them with water, and then sprinkle salt and sake to eliminate any odor.

In a pot of boiling water, add the ingredients and boil for about a minute until the color changes and shrinks slightly. Turn off the heat, rinse in water, and simply strain it to finish the preparation. This alone gives it a salty flavor.

Add salsa sauce, diced avocado, and shrimp to cut lettuce, and somehow add mayonnaise. Ideally, a thousand island dressing would have been nice, but since we didn't have it at home, I used mayonnaise. I'm just going by feel here, so I have no idea what the taste will be like at this point.

However, when I tried it, I was surprised by how well the flavors came together! I feel like the flavor of the salsa sauce brings everything together. The texture of the shrimp and the creaminess of the avocado match the acidity of the salsa sauce and make it delicious.

As long as the sauce is solid, it seems like you can pair it with various ingredients, so I think it would be fun to come up with ideas and create challenge menus with family and friends. However, when doing it alone, I quickly get full (laughs).

Tacos that are simple yet profound are enjoyable.

What started as a spontaneous taco-making endeavor turned out to be unexpectedly fun, and it felt like more than just a party dish; I experienced the depth and variety of cooking, which broadened my perspective. How about gathering ingredients and drinks for a taco party with everyone during the upcoming hot season?

Interview & Text / Kazuma Tanaka

Search Frozen Tortillas on Amazon