Recipes

Tacos de Lengua

Beef · Mexican · Offal · Street Food

Tacos de Lengua
Prep 30 min
Cook 5 hr
Serves 6
Level Medium

Beef tongue simmered for hours until meltingly tender, peeled, sliced, seared, and finished in a smoky chipotle salsa, then piled into warm corn tortillas. A taquería without lengua, the saying goes, is not a real taquería.

Untested: I have not cooked this one yet. It is here because the Offal dive needed it, and it is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

Tongue

  • 1 whole beef tongue (3 to 4 pounds)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon each dried marjoram, thyme and oregano
  • 1 tablespoon salt

Salsa

  • 4 Roma tomatoes
  • 4 tomatillos, husked
  • 1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano chiles
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 white onion
  • 1 to 2 chipotles in adobo

Salt

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Warm corn tortillas, avocado, chopped white onion and cilantro, to serve

Directions

  1. Simmer the tongue. Put the tongue in a large pot with the garlic, onion, bay, peppercorns, herbs and salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 4 to 5 hours, until completely tender.
  2. Peel. Lift out the tongue and, while it is still warm, peel off the thick outer skin; it comes away easily warm and stubbornly cold. Trim off and discard the bottom portion. Slice about 1/4 inch thick.
  3. Char the salsa. Char the tomatoes, tomatillos, chiles, garlic and onion in a dry skillet or under the broiler, turning, about 15 minutes. Blend with the chipotles and salt until fairly smooth.
  4. Sear and sauce. Heat the oil in a skillet and sear the tongue slices on both sides. Pour in the salsa and simmer 3 to 4 minutes.
  5. Serve in warm corn tortillas with avocado, onion and cilantro.

Notes

Source Adapted from Pati Jinich, “Tacos de Lengua en Salsa Martajada.” The salsa quantities here are this collection’s; the research recorded Jinich’s ingredients and method but not every amount.

Also in the collection The U.S. Army’s 1944 Simmered Tongue (Beef, Fresh or Smoked) and Tongue with Horseradish Sauce.

The Offal dive on the Food site covers this part in depth.