Carne asada is often served with tortillas and avocado slices.
Carne asada is a traditional dish in Tex-Mex, Mexican and Latin cuisine. It consists of seasoned, grilled flank steak that is sliced thinly before service. The best foods to serve alongside this succulent dish are other dishes that reflect the flavors prominent in the American Southwest, Mexico and Central America. Carne asada is often a featured dish on taco buffets, so foods that accompany tacos well, are likely to be successful alongside carne asada. Choose sides and garnishes that highlight the flavors of the beef but do not overwhelm it so that the carne asada flavor remains prominent.
Tortillas
Tortillas are part of nearly every carne asada presentation. Cooks may present the dish on an open face tortilla to allow diners to garnish the beef before eating it. Diners may fold the tortilla in half, taco style, or roll the components like a burrito. Though there is a plethora of high-end tortillas available in the marketplace, flavored with various ingredients from pepper flakes to spinach, pure flour tortillas remain the side-of-choice for most diners.
Salsa
Carne asada always has a garnish on top. Sliced avocado and salsa are traditional favorites. Most people envision a seasoned mixture of tomatoes, onions and peppers that is mild to hot in flavor yet cold in temperature when they consider salsa. However, there are many variations of the omnipresent Mexican condiment. Traditional salsas may be warm or cold in temperature. Many other vegetables and even fruits are suitable for salsa. Cucumber gives chilled salsa a mild but powerfully fresh bite. Corn has become a mainstream salsa ingredient and many cooks find success with warm, roasted tomatoes in place of their chilled, raw counterpart. Mango and pineapple occasionally find their way into salsa, when adventurous diners desire to add a little sweetness atop their tender slices of beef.
Avocado
Purists are perfectly happy with thin slices of avocado alone as their carne asada accompaniment. However, cooks who crave complex flavors can incorporate avocado with other ingredients. Guacamole is a beloved dish that has become a mainstay in American food culture. Many aficionados of the mashed avocado spread have tried-and-true recipes from which they never stray. Virtually any guacamole recipe should go well with carne asada.
Black Beans
Black beans are common in Mexican cuisine, with or without rice. The subtle spiciness of black beans makes them an ideal match for carne asada. The hearty creaminess of beans contrasts nicely with the texture of sliced beef. Many people to choose to serve refried beans with Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes, but cooked, whole beans are just as creamy when diners bite into them. Also, the consistency of whole beans allows them to mix well with chunky salsas since the diced vegetables and beans are of comparable size. The thoroughly blended flavors only enrich the dish.
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