Tasajo is Oaxacan salt-cured thin-sliced beef, grilled over wood coals at the Pasillo de Humo and served with avocado, salsa and warm tortillas to order.

Tasajo is the thin-sliced, salt-cured beef that defines the Pasillo de Humo grill alley at Mercado 20 de Noviembre, smoking over wood coals every lunchtime. The meat is hung at the butcher counters along the alley, weighed by the kilo, then walked to the grill stand to char with cebollitas, cactus paddles and chiles de agua. Served with avocado, tortillas and salsa, it is the canonical Oaxacan lunch.

Where to eat Tasajo in Oaxaca

6 editor picks for Tasajo in Oaxaca, ranked by editorial score. All Oaxaca signature dishes · Tasajo across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 424 hrEasy

Ingredients

  • 800g beef top round, sliced 5mm thick in long strips
  • 60g coarse sea salt
  • 2 limes
  • Cebollitas (8 spring onions)
  • 2 cactus paddles
  • 8 chiles de agua
  • Sliced avocado
  • Salsa de molcajete
  • Tortillas

Method

  1. Rub the beef strips on both sides with coarse sea salt; lay flat on a tray.
  2. Cover with a clean cloth and rest in a cool place 24 hours.
  3. Rinse the strips and pat dry.
  4. Build a hardwood-charcoal fire (or use a screaming-hot grill).
  5. Grill the strips 30-60 seconds per side; they should char fast over the coals.
  6. Char the cebollitas, cactus paddles and chiles de agua alongside.
  7. Plate with avocado, salsa, the grilled vegetables and tortillas; serve immediately.

Editor tip. Rinse the salt off before grilling, otherwise the meat dries out and the salt bitterness dominates.