← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 1 beef tongue (about 1.2 kg), rinsed
• 1 white onion, halved
• 6 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 3 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 2 tbsp lard or oil
• 18 small corn tortillas
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 250 ml salsa verde
• 3 Lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Put the tongue, halved onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt in a large pot and cover with water by 5 cm. Bring to the boil, skim, then simmer gently, covered, for 3 hours, until a knife slides in easily.
2. Lift out the tongue and, while it is still hot, peel off the thick outer skin; it comes away easily when warm. Trim any gristle at the base.
3. Cut the tongue into 1 cm dice. Splash with a little of the cooking broth to keep it moist.
4. Heat the lard in a heavy pan over medium-high heat and fry the tongue for 5–6 min, until browned and crisp at the edges.
5. Warm the tortillas, pile in the tongue and top with onion, coriander, salsa verde and a squeeze of lime.

Tips

• Cook the tongue a day ahead and chill it in its broth; it slices neatly and reheats perfectly.
• Ask your butcher for beef tongue: it is inexpensive and very tender once slow-cooked.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

My Latina Table Rick Bayless