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Grilled Steak Elote Tacos

Grilled steak elote tacos with a creamy elote-style corn topping, served in warm corn tortillas. The flank steak is marinated in lime and spices, then grilled for char and sliced into taco-ready pieces.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
marinating 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican Fusion
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Steak marinade
  • 1.5 lb flank steak
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 salt
  • 1 pepper
Elote topping
  • 3 cup corn kernels, grilled
  • 0.25 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
  • 0.5 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 0.5 tsp chili powder
Assemble
  • 1 corn tortillas
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Marinate and rest steak
  1. Stir lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper together, then coat the flank steak and refrigerate for 30 minutes for the flavors to soak in.
  2. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until visibly hot, then grill the steak for 4-5 minutes per side until browned with distinct grill marks.
  3. Transfer the steak to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes so the juices settle before slicing.
  4. Slice the steak against the grain into thin strips so they fit easily in the tacos.
Make creamy elote and assemble tacos
  1. In a bowl, mix grilled corn kernels with mayonnaise, sour cream, crumbled cotija cheese, lime juice, and chili powder until the corn looks creamy and speckled.
  2. Warm corn tortillas on the same hot cast iron skillet until pliable, about 30-60 seconds per side, so they don’t tear.
  3. Fill each tortilla with sliced steak, then top with the elote mixture so you can see both charred steak and creamy corn.
  4. Finish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges for bright, fresh juice over the tacos.

Notes

Pro tip: Slice the flank steak against the grain and keep the elote topping thick—stir just before assembling. Store leftover steak and elote separately in the fridge up to 3 days; rewarm steak gently. Freeze steak for up to 2 months (thaw in the fridge), but note the elote topping is best fresh and may soften after freezing. For a lighter option, use plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for a similar tang.