recipes

48 Recipes for Mexican Foods That Aren't Tacos

Mexican food is so much more than tacos.
Image may contain Food Dish Meal and Bowl
Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Kalen Kaminski

Mexican food might be the most crave-inducing cuisine out there. There's cheese, spice, crunch, rich sauces, delicate herbs, fresh vegetables. Oh, and avocado. So much avocado. Cinco de Mayo is the perfect occasion to expand out of your taco truck state of mind and try something other than a cheese quesadilla. Here are 48 recipe ideas, from enchiladas to posole—and yes, guacamole.

  • Image may contain Food Dish Meal Lunch Plant Animal Seafood Lobster and Sea Life
    Photo by Laura Murray, styling by Judy Mancini
    1/48

    Mezcal-Marinated Fajitas

    The mezcal and fish sauce in these fajitas make for a surprisingly good combination. You’ll get a smoky, earthy flavor from the mezcal, while the fish sauce adds a little funk and saltiness. If you prefer, use any kind of chopped up chicken or pork in place of the skirt steak.

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  • Photo by Laura Murray, Styling by Judy Mancini
    2/48

    Churros with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce

    The shape of pastry tip you use for this churros recipe is very important. If the tip isn’t closed, or rounded off, the churros may break as you’re frying them (we used size 845 tips).

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  • Photo by Alex Lau
    3/48

    BA's Best Guacamole

    This easy guacamole recipe is best made in a Mexican mortar and pestle called a molcajete, but a bowl and a fork works fine. Just don’t rush to get it on the table. It takes a while for the avocado to absorb all the flavors you add to it. 

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  • Peden + Munk
    4/48

    Pan con Tomatillo

    Outrageously crunchy.

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  • Peden + Munk
    5/48

    The Tostada That Wants to Be a Memela

    Since finding fresh masa in the U.S. is hit or miss, we call for fresh corn tortillas, which technically makes this a tostada.

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  • 6/48

    One-Skillet Corn Chilaquiles

    This recipe makes just enough salsa verde to coat one bag of chips, but it's so tasty and versatile that we always make a double batch. If you can, choose a heftier chip that will hold up when stirred into the sauce.

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  • Eva Kolenko
    9/48

    Salsa Cruda

    Salsa cruda tastes best drizzled atop some kind of meat-based antojitos or entrées (such as carnitas), or at least a dish with very robust, “meaty” vegetables, like grilled portobello or king oyster mushrooms. It's a little too raw-tasting to eat on its own with chips.

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  • Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski
    10/48

    Party Posole Rojo

    Posole is one of the tastiest, prettiest one-pot dishes on earth. Make ahead and all that’s left to do is ice some beers and set out all the toppings.

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  • Alex Lau
    19/48

    Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

    Want to make it vegetarian? Just swap in roasted veggies (squash, peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.), and instead of chicken stock, use vegetable stock or water.

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  • Alex Lau
    20/48

    Shrimp in Buttery Hot Sauce

    Restaurant Veneno de Nayarit uses Huichol brand hot sauce, but Cholula, Tapatío, or Valentina also add lots of flavor without a ton of heat.

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  • Marcus Nilsson
    27/48

    Grilled Salsa Roja

    Charring the tomatoes and vegetables plays up their sweetness and adds smoky, bitter notes. This goes great with quesadillas, grilled snapper, and pork.

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  • Alex Lau
    28/48

    Braised Birria

    Though Birrieria Zaragoza uses goat, this deeply spiced braise is equally good with lamb.

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  • Peden + Munk
    35/48

    Smoked Swordfish Tostaditas

    You’ve probably never seen smoked swordfish before, but you probably weren’t looking. Find it at Mexican, Spanish, or other specialty grocers, or at a well-stocked fish market.

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  • Alex Lau
    36/48

    Pork Enchiladas Rojas

    If you can’t find guajillo chiles, use New Mexico or Californian chiles, and for moritas, try chipotle chiles in adobo.

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  • Marcus Nilsson
    41/48

    Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa Verde

    Oh, the inherent stress in choosing the perfect avocado. The “ready to eat” ones can go from ripe to rotten quickly, so buy uniformly firm Hass avocados instead. Let them sit at room temperature until they have a slight give, usually a day or two (plan ahead!). This goes great with quesadillas, grilled snapper, and pork.

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  • Christopher Baker
    42/48

    Grilled Vegetable Salad with Raw Green Mole

    This uncooked mole gets heat from jalapeño, cooling freshness from lettuce and herbs, and a touch of richness from toasted seeds. Use any extra as a dip for crudités.

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  • Marcus Nilsson
    43/48

    Grilled Greens and Cheese Quesadillas

    A step beyond those late-night quesadillas of microwaved cheese on tortillas.

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  • Alex Lau
    44/48

    Mole Amarillo

    You can substitute ancho chiles for the chilhuacle amarillo chiles and the chilcostle chiles in this mole, but for authentic color and flavor, order these hard to find chiles from spicetrekkers.com.

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  • Alex Lau
    47/48

    Mole Negro

    Chilhuacle negro chiles give this mole its traditional flavor and should not be substituted. They’re difficult to find in the U.S., but you can find them—and the other chiles you’ll need—at spicetrekkers.com.

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  • 48/48

    Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn)

    This recipe is great for serving family-style: Put all of the ingredients out separately and let your guests top the corn however they wish. Watch the step-by-step video here.

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