Food

Perfect Mexican Steak Torta Recipe

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Feb 29, 2024 • 1 min read

Learn how to make a satisfying steak torta sandwich at home.

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What Is a Torta?

A torta is a Mexican sandwich served on a soft roll and filled with meat, sauce, and various toppings such as crema, avocado, salsa, and iceberg lettuce. Tortas are almost as integral to Mexican street food as tacos, but unlike tacos, which the Aztecs made with tortillas ground from maíz, tortas are a relatively new emergence, requiring the use of wheat sandwich rolls called bolillos. Popular tortas include torta de milanesa, torta cubana, torta ahogada, and, of course, the classic steak torta.

Perfect Mexican Steak Torta Recipe

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makes

2

prep time

30 min

total time

40 min

cook time

10 min

Ingredients

  1. 1

    Make the marinade for the steak. In a small bowl, combine chile powder, cumin, black pepper, and the juice of one lime. Whisk to combine. Transfer the marinade to a resealable plastic bag and add the steak. Seal the bag and gently massage to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to overnight.

  2. 2

    Marinate the red onion. In a small bowl, combine the onion slices with the juice from half a lime and salt. Let sit at room temperature until ready to assemble.

  3. 3

    Make the spicy sour cream. In a blender or food processor, combine chipotles with sour cream and the juice from half a lime. Process until smooth and set aside.

  4. 4

    Brush a large skillet or grill pan with olive oil and set over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, grill steak about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer steak to a cutting board and slice on the diagonal into ½-inch-thick strips.

  5. 5

    Assemble the tortas. Slice the rolls in half and spread the bottom half of each roll with the spicy sour cream. Top with beans, then add steak, onion slices, jalapeños, cilantro, and cotija.

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