Mexican flavors show up constantly in my kitchen, from weeknight tacos to salsas I make on repeat. Here are 28 of my favorite Mexican recipes, from birria and fish tacos to enchiladas, salsas, and sides.
A few to start with if you’re not sure where to begin: Camarones a la Diabla, “Deviled Shrimp” in a fiery red chile sauce, Mexican Pickled Onions, the condiment I put on almost everything, and Pollo Pibil, Yucatecan achiote-marinated chicken that’s easier than it sounds. From there, the rest are organized by category below.
CAMARONES A LA DIABLA
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Camarones a la Diabla or Mexican deviled shrimp or “shrimp of the devil,” is one of my all-time favorite Mexican foods. Plump, tender shrimp are seared in a skillet and then tossed in a rich, fiery sauce made from dried chiles.
Get the Recipe: Camarones a la Diabla
MEXICAN PICKLED ONIONS WITH LIME JUICE
I love these Mexican pickled onions so much. This is such an easy recipe and the result is so flavorful, and so beautiful (that bright pink color!) that I just can’t get enough.
Get the Recipe: Mexican Pickled Onions with Lime Juice
POLLO PIBIL (YUCATECAN ACHIOTE CHICKEN)
Pollo Pibil is a deeply flavorful dish from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. With complex flavors of achiote paste (made from ground annatto seeds), sour orange juice, and spices, this chicken is full of flavor and rich orange color (from the achiote paste).
Get the Recipe: Pollo Pibil (Yucatecan Achiote Chicken)
QUESABIRRIA TACOS
Quesabirria Tacos—crispy-fried, sauce-drenched tortillas filled with perfectly slow-cooked beef and melted cheese—will seduce your taste buds. You’ll be enticed by the first perfect spicy, meaty, cheesy bite, and it will only leave you wanting more.
Get the Recipe: Quesabirria Tacos
BEEF BIRRIA
Beef Birria marries the richness of slow-cooked beef with a vibrant palette of spices. The meat, tender to the point of melting, mingles with guajillo peppers, cinnamon, ginger, and tomatoes in a broth that’s as layered as it is bold.
Get the Recipe: Beef Birria
CHICKEN BIRRIA TACOS
Chicken Birria Tacos are rich, spicy, and a little messy, with crispy, cheesy edges and a bowl of deep red sauce on the side for dipping.
Get the Recipe: Chicken Birria Tacos
SHRIMP AND CHORIZO TACOS
Shrimp and Chorizo Tacos combine plump, tender shrimp with spicy chorizo for a delicious and satisfying taco filling that’s super easy to make. I don’t know about your family, but mine is all about tacos. Forget Taco Tuesday.
Get the Recipe: Shrimp and Chorizo Tacos
5-INGREDIENT SHREDDED CHICKEN TACOS
5-Ingredient Shredded Chicken Tacos are a favorite weeknight dinner. They’re quick and easy to make, and this recipe is perfectly portioned to serve 2 people (and easily doubled or tripled if you want to feed the whole family).
Get the Recipe: 5-Ingredient Shredded Chicken Tacos
BLACKENED FISH TACOS
Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos are the best fish tacos! The mild, flaky fish is seasoned with a flavorful spice rub, pan seared, and then tucked into soft corn tortillas with crunchy slaw and a creamy cilantro lime sauce.
Get the Recipe: Blackened Fish Tacos
FISH TACOS WITH CILANTRO-LIME CREAM
Today, I bring you another recipe from my latest book, Home Skillet: The Essential Cast Iron Cookbook for Easy One-Pan Meals. This time I’m sharing my recipe for Blackened Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Cream.
Get the Recipe: Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Cream
AIR FRYER FISH TACOS
Fish Tacos make a perfect meal during the spring and summer when the days are longer and the evenings warmer. Even better is making your fish tacos in the air fryer, which makes them even easier and quicker to make.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Fish Tacos
SPICY SHRIMP TOSTADAS
Spicy Shrimp Tostadas are proof that sometimes a crunchy shell beats a soft tortilla.
Get the Recipe: Spicy Shrimp Tostadas
THE BEST HOMEMADE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
There are sauce people and there are non-sauce people. I am definitely a sauce person. Most of the time, I would happily leave out the “main” ingredient and just eat the sauce—ladled over rice or sopped up with hunks of crusty bread.
Get the Recipe: The Best Homemade Chicken Enchiladas
AIR FRYER CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
Air Fryer Enchiladas with green enchilada sauce are an easy, tasty weeknight meal that the whole family will love. I love making enchiladas in the air fryer because it’s quick to do and the cleanup is so simple.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Chicken Enchiladas
AIR FRYER ENCHILADAS
Air Fryer Enchiladas are a delicious change from the usual tacos, burritos, and bowls we rely so heavily on for quick weeknight meals. These beef enchiladas are flavourful and super easy to make in the air fryer.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Enchiladas
EASY ENCHILADA SAUCE TO MAKE AT HOME
An easy enchilada sauce is a true gift. Made from scratch from whole, dried red chiles, this sauce is soul-tinglingly delicious and really simple to make. I love it on Homemade Chicken Enchiladas, Tamales, and Chilaquiles.
Get the Recipe: Easy Enchilada Sauce to Make at Home
GUACAMOLE
Guacamole is the food of the gods. Rich, butter avocado countered by bright, acidic lime juice and tomatoes, and punctuated by spicy chile, fresh cilantro, and zesty onion—what’s not to love?
Get the Recipe: Guacamole
A VERY VERDE ROASTED TOMATILLO AND AVOCADO SALSA (OUR FAVORITE SALSA VERDE RECIPE)
The window awning at Taco Los Altos in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood boasts a blunt claim of “The Best Mexican Food.
Get the Recipe: A Very Verde Roasted Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa (Our Favorite Salsa Verde Recipe)
SALSA MACHA
I always keep a jar of Salsa Macha in my fridge. It’s an oil-based Mexican chile sauce that’s loaded with toasted chiles, garlic, and a mix of nuts and seeds. It’s rich, smoky, and a little bit crunchy, sort of like a Mexican-style chili crisp.
Get the Recipe: Salsa Macha
MANGO HABANERO SALSA
Mango Habanero Salsa is the perfect topping for fish tacos or simply for dipping. It’s spicy and sweet, and really easy to make. It’s also crazy delicious. I love the sweet-spicy combination of tropical fruit and hot chile peppers.
Get the Recipe: Mango Habanero Salsa
AIR FRYER CARNITAS—PERFECT FOR TACOS!
Air Fryer Carnitas are your answer to the perpetual question of what to cook for dinner on a busy weeknight. The pork turns out juicy and flavorful with enticingly crisp edges.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Carnitas—Perfect for Tacos!
MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF
Mexican Shredded Beef for Tacos is easy to make and full of meaty flavor! This Mexican Shredded Beef recipe uses chuck roast or brisket and cooked on the stovetop in a Dutch oven or a stockpot.
Get the Recipe: Mexican Shredded Beef
SALPICON DE RES MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF SALAD
Salipicon de Res is a Mexican shredded beef salad made with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, radishes, and often olives and pickled chili peppers. It’s tossed with a simple Salpicon dressing made of vinegar, oil, and oregano.
Get the Recipe: Salpicon de Res Mexican Shredded Beef Salad
ELOTE RECIPE OR MEXICAN GRILLED CORN
This elote recipe, or Mexican grilled corn, is one of the only preparations for corn on the cob that I think is better than just eating the corn straight from the oven or grill.
Get the Recipe: Elote Recipe or Mexican Grilled Corn
AIR FRYER CORN ELOTE
Air Fryer Corn Elote is a favorite summertime side dish. It’s fresh and addictively flavorful. Sweet corn on the cob with cayenne, mayo, and salty cotija cheese. This Mexican street corn is crazy easy to make in the air fryer in just 15 minutes.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Corn Elote
MEXICAN CORN SALAD WITH CHILES, LIME, AND PARMESAN
Mexican Corn Salad contains all the flavors of street stall corn on the cob.
Get the Recipe: Mexican Corn Salad with Chiles, Lime, and Parmesan
INSTANT POT MEXICAN BLACK BEANS
Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans are super easy to make. And these black beans make a perfect side dish for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or any other Mexican fare. Why make homemade black beans?
Get the Recipe: Instant Pot Mexican Black Beans
SOPA DE CAMARONES (MEXICAN SHRIMP SOUP)
Sopa de Camarones is a Mexican shrimp soup recipe that is light, but full of earthy flavor. Dried chiles give the broth its rich red color and distinctive flavor.
Get the Recipe: Sopa de Camarones (Mexican Shrimp Soup)
