Tiny tacos + Spanish flavors = taco tapas!

I’d like to see the recipe now, please. I’ll read the blog post later. Promise ;)

This is one of those simple recipes that I came up with in a pinch because I had no idea what to make and I was down to the final hour on cooking day. Oftentimes, those last-minute, seat-of-your-pants, on-the-fly creations end up being some of the best.

The idea was simple. I took the broil-then-marinate steak approach that I really like to do with salads, made the marinade with classically Spanish ingredients (lemon, really good olive oil, garlic) and topped it with my dad’s famous Spanish “salsa,” a little Manchego and bada-bing: awesomeness in my mouth.

Wild game recipe: Spanish taco tapas

The star player here is actually less the meat and more the salsa. It’s basically pico de gallo, but with olives instead of jalapeño. The result is sort of like a loose and very fresh tapanade. You can eat it by itself with chips or throw it on top of just about anything that olives will go with (crostini, salad, it would probably even be good on a flatbread pizza).

If you can’t find the small “street taco” tortillas you can certainly use regular sized ones. I personally prefer the smaller bite, because between the meat and the olives it’s a pretty rich little morsel of goodness. Having said that, I think put back about four of these suckers. The nice thing about this recipe is that since you broil the meat, then marinade, you can cook ahead of time and throw them together at the last minute before a party or having people over. Obviously throwing some shredded spinach in there isn’t really necessary, and is mostly my attempt to put something a little green in to lighten and brighten the dish. I would stick with spinach over something like a spring mix, though, because spinach is stout enough to hold up to the other flavors going on.

Spanish taco tapas

Serves 4-6
Prep time 2 hours
Cook time 15 minutes
Total time 2 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients

Optional

  • 2 tablespoons oil

For the meat

  • 1lb venison steak
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the salsa

  • 1/2 yellow onion
  • 2 roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • 10-15 green olives
  • salt and pepper to taste

For assembly

  • 10-15 mini
  • 1 cup finely chopped spinach
  • Shaved or grated manchego (or parmesan)

Directions

For the meat
Step 1
Season the steak (or steaks) with salt and pepper. Set your oven to broil, and broil on a foil-lined baking sheet to desired doneness (14-16 minutes for medium rare), turning half way through. Set aside and let rest for 5 minutes, then slice. Toss with olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and juice and let marinade for at least an hour (4+ hours or overnight is recommended, but not necessary).
For the salsa
Step 2
Finely chop all the ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and toss together. This can be done with a food processor or salsa maker.
For assembly
Step 3
Heat a pan over medium and add the oil. Lightly fry each tortilla (about 2 minutes per side, until slightly crispy but still pliable) and remove to a plate or platter. Fill each tortilla with a little spinach, a few slices of meat, and top with the Spanish salsa and cheese.
Non game substitution: Steak.
Vegetarian substitution: You could definitely go with some sautéed veggies here, or make the cheese the star player by using a thick slice. You could even try a milder spanish cheese, like drunken goat or Iberico.
Posted in Venison
Share this post, let the world know

Leave a Reply

1 Comment on "Wild game recipe: Spanish taco tapas"

Notify of
avatar

Sort by:   newest | oldest | most voted
Steve Smith

I love that you talked that one of the benefits of creating tacos is they could be done making ahead of time for the time-consumption-friendly menu. My brother told me last night that he and his friends were looking for hunting wild game recipes that could provide recreational techniques for top outdoor hunting game experiences. He asked if I had any idea on the best option to consider. I’m thankful for this helpful article. I’ll tell him we can consult a well-known hunting wild games service as they can provide details about their services.