Austin-Style Migas Tacos
Chapter 3 — Tacos: The Assembly
Saturday morning at the crowded kitchen island, a 12-inch cast-iron skillet is already smoking. We are not taking the lazy route of crushing stale yellow corn chips into dry eggs. Pour the warm salsa roja over eggs hissing on hot metal, and build this dish from the ground up: tear yesterday's corn tortillas, fry them in hot pork fat until rigid and golden, and soft-scramble them with fresh aromatics and shredded Monterey Jack.
Before you start
Prepare the salsas.
Ensure you charred the vegetables on your comal and crushed them in your molcajete for that rustic, jam-like texture.
Warm the refried beans.
Have a batch of Frijoles Refritos from Chapter 2 ready on the stove.
Slice the meats.
If you are building a massive spread, pull out the Carne Asada from Chapter 2 and slice it thin across the grain.
Ingredients
- pork lard3 tbsp
- white corn tortillas5 small
- white onion1/2 cup
- jalapeños2 med
- roma tomato1 med
- eggs8 large
- monterrey jack cheese1 cup
- fresh cilantro1/4 cup
- flour tortillas8 small
- avocado1 med
Method
- 01
Double-warm the serving tortillas.
Mist the tortillas lightly with water, then throw them onto a ripping hot, dry comal for 10 to 15 seconds per side until they develop a slight, smoky char.
- 02
Fry the tortilla strips in hot manteca.
Heat the lard in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the strips in a single layer, and fry until they are rigid and golden brown.
- 03
Salt the crispy strips.
Remove the strips to a paper towel and salt immediately, leaving the residual pork fat in the pan.
- 04
Sauté the onion, jalapeño, and tomato.
Reduce heat to medium, cook the onion and pepper in the fat until softened, then add the tomato for exactly one minute to release its juices.
- 05
Soft-scramble the eggs.
Drop the heat to medium-low, pour in the beaten eggs, and let them set for 15 seconds before gently dragging a spatula through to create large, luxurious curds.
- 06
Fold in the crispy strips and melt the cheese.
While the eggs are still slightly wet, fold in the fried tortillas and cilantro, top with cheese, then cover and remove from heat for 60 seconds so the trapped steam melts the cheese perfectly.
- 07
Assemble the tacos at the counter.
Smear the double-warmed tortillas with manteca-rich refried beans, pile high with the cheesy migas, and drench in molcajete-crushed salsa.
Notes
Do not substitute the manteca.
Pork lard is the foundational lipid of the taqueria, responsible for the savory undertone you cannot replicate with canola oil.
Managing tomato water content.
Supermarket Roma tomatoes carry excess water that will ruin the crispness of your fried tortillas, so ensure you meticulously core and scrape out the seeds before dicing.