CUISINE / FARM TO TABLE
WORLD-CLASS
TACOS Flat Iron Fajita Tacos, Gulf Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Cream, and Homemade Flour Tortillas By: Justin & Kayla Butts Photos by: Rachel Benavides
he mighty Aztecs had been enjoying tacos for a thousand years before Cortez and his warriors arrived in Mexico in 1519. Tacos were daily fare in Tenochtitlan. For the Aztecs, tacos were corn tortillas (they did not yet have wheat from Europe) with a filling of venison, fish, or lizard, topped with fresh salsa made from tomatoes and peppers. They did not use cheese, because they did not yet have milk from Spanish goats. The Conquistadors brought their own long-cherished taco traditions with them. For the Spaniards, tacos were flour tortillas (they did not yet have corn from America) with a filling of meat or seafood, plus cheese, but no salsa (they did not have tomatoes, either). When these magnificent cultures collided, their first argument was most likely about who made better tacos. But there is one thing we know for sure: whether Aztec or Spanish, the ingredients were locally harvested and completely fresh. Local ingredients remain the best (and only) way to make truly world-class tacos. Because tacos are so simple, it is imperative that every ingredient is of the highest quality. To begin, we make our tortillas from scratch. We use pastured lard from a local farm because there is really no substitute. Let the tortilla dough rest for
132 The Bend
ten minutes before rolling to give the baking powder time to do its work. For our fajita-style tacos, we source our beef from Tim Fitch of Palo Verde Cattle Co. Fitch raises grass-fed beef on his ranch outside Beeville. This dry-aged beef has the amazing flavor of local grass, rather than the aftertaste of GMO corn from some distant cattle feedlot. We prefer the Flat Iron steak instead of the actual fajita cut, which can be a little tough. The Flat Iron steak has the tenderness and flavor of a Ribeye but is quite a bit cheaper. For our shrimp tacos, we begin with live shrimp from the iconic Mom’s Bait Shop in Rockport. You can buy live Gulf shrimp off the trawlers at the Corpus Christi Bayfront or Roberts Point Park near the ferry in Port Aransas. Shrimp this fresh is one of the true joys of living in The Bend. Find your vegetables freshly harvested at a local farmers’ market, or from a neighbor’s garden, or best of all from your own garden. This avocado cilantro cream is from heaven—make plenty. What worked for the Aztecs and the Spaniards still works for us today. Fresh ingredients, locally harvested and prepared with love, always make the best tacos. Even if we still argue about whose tacos are best!
