Rajas Tacos are made with strips of poblano peppers, onions and corn, with a hint of Mexican Crema served with cilantro and lime. Vegan-adaptable.
The more I empty myself, the more beauty is birthed into physical form. And the more beauty there is, the more love there is. ~ Zach Bush
We first discovered Rajas Tacos down in Santa Barbara at the iconic La Super Rica (Julia Child’s favorite haunt) during one of our winter stays a few years back, but it wasn’t until we had them in San Miguel Allende at a taco stand this spring that it dawned on me, that I need to share these with you!
The funny thing was, we had been eating at all the amazing restaurants in San Miguel but kept coming back to this one taco stand to get these tacos, all agreeing it was our favorite thing we had to eat the whole trip.
What are Rajas Tacos?
Rajas, in Spanish means “strips” – and typically Rajas Tacos are made with strips of veggies that include poblano peppers and onions. I’ve had them with strips of zucchini and zucchini blossoms as well. Mushrooms can be used instead of corn in the cooler months. The tacos are either served with cheese, or the filling is made creamy with the addition of Mexican Crema- or Mexican sour cream.
We use the crema sparingly here, just to give it a little richness. Feel free to sub vegan sour cream or cashew cream.
Ingredeints in Rajas Tacos
- poblano peppers (also called pasilla peppers)
- fresh corn (or sub 2 cups frozen corn, mushrooms or zucchini or zucchini blossoms)
- olive oil
- large white or yellow onion,
- garlic cloves
- jalapeno
- fresh oregano (or dried oregano)
- cumin
- coriander
- salt and pepper
- Mexican crema, (or sub-Mexican sour cream, crème fraîche or sour cream, or vegan sour cream)
- limes
- Cilantro
- Tortillas- 6-inch corn or flour (or a blend is nice)
How to make Rajas Tacos
STEP ONE: Preheat the grill to med heat (see notes for using the stovetop).
Place whole corn cobs and poblanos on the grill, turning every 3-4 minutes, until lightly charred, and poblanos are blistered and tender, about 15 minutes.
Place the blistered poblanos in a paper bag or covered bowl, to steam through, about 3-5 minutes- then peel, deseed and slice into strips.
Cut the kernels off the corn.
Grill the tortillas and wrap in a towel.
STEP TWO: At the same time you are grilling, saute the onion in a large skillet with the olive oil, over medium heat, occasionally stirring, cooking until tender and caramelized about 8 minutes. Scoot them to the side, add more olive oil if needed and add the garlic, jalapeno and oregano, saute 2-3 minutes, then combine. Turn the heat off.
STEP THREE Add the corn and poblanos to the skillet. Warm the mixture over med-low heat and add the salt, pepper and spices. Stir until heated through. Add the Mexican crema, stirring.
Squeeze in 1/2 the lime, taste, adjust salt ( I usually add more), and if needed, add the remaining lime.
TIP: If it tastes bland, it needs salt and lime.
STEP FOUR: Spoon the creamy poblano filling into the warm tortillas and top with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Do you need a grill?
No, the corn and peppers can be sauteed, roasted, or chared over a gas burner.
This recipe can be made pretty quickly if grilling and sauteeing simultaneously (I can get it done in about 30 minutes).
It makes about 6 tacos and serves 3 people, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
I hope you give these a go before you put your grill away for the summer!
Enjoy,
More Taco Recipes to Enjoy:
- Cauliflower Tacos with Mole Sauce (Vegan!)
- Birria Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos with Mango Cabbage Slaw
- Grilled Steak Tacos with Chimichurri
- Jackfruit Tacos (Vegan!)
Rajas Tacos
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 tacos 1x
- Category: dinner
- Method: grilled
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Rajas Tacos are made with strips of poblano peppers, onions and corn, with a hint of Mexican Crema served with cilantro and lime. Vegan-adaptable
Ingredients
- 3–4 large poblano peppers (also called pasilla peppers)
- 2 ears of corn, shucked (or sub 2 cups frozen corn, mushrooms or zucchini)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced into rings
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno, finely chopped (this is medium spicy, feel free to add more)
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4–1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sub-Mexican sour cream, crème fraîche or vegan sour cream
- 1 lime
- 6 x 6-inch Tortillas
Garnish: cilantro and lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat grill to med heat (see notes for the stovetop)
- Place whole corn cobs and poblanos on the grill, turning every 3-4 minutes, until lightly charred, and poblanos are blistered and tender, about 15 minutes. Grill the tortillas and wrap in a towel.
- At the same time, saute the onion in a large skillet with the olive oil and half the salt, over medium heat, occasionally stirring, cooking until tender and caramelized about 8 minutes. Scoot them to the side, add more olive oil if needed and add the garlic, jalapeno and oregano, saute 2-3 minutes, then combine. Turn the heat off.
- Place the blistered poblanos in a paper bag or covered bowl, to steam through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Cut the kernels off the corn and add them to the skillet.
- Under cool running water, peel any loose skin off the poblanos (no need to get every bit) and remove the seeds and stem. Lay them flat and cut into thin strips. Add to the skillet.
- Warm the mixture over med-low heat and add the remaining salt, pepper and spices. Stir until heated through. Add the Mexican crema, stirring. Squeeze in 1/2 the lime, taste, adjust salt ( I usually add more) and if needed, add the remaining lime. If it tastes bland, it needs salt and lime.
- Spoon the warm creamy filling into the warm tortillas and top with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
Charring the corn and peppers gives good flavor here, but it is not mandatory. Instead of using the grill, feel free to saute sliced poblanos until tender. You can also blister the peppers over a gas stove top or broil them in the oven, or roast them ( and peel). Feel free to saute the corn (or char first over a gas burner).
Feel free to add more spices- I kept it simple here to allow the sweetness of the fresh summer corn to come through. For more heat add a pinch of cayenne or ground chipotle.
Mexican Crema is less sour and a bit runnier than sour cream- so if using sour cream instead, you may need to add a tiny splash of water, and little less lime- add it to taste. I used the whole lime with the crema.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
- Calories: 332
- Sugar: 13.5 g
- Sodium: 438.7 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 9.4 g
- Protein: 8.8 g
- Cholesterol: 11.3 mg
I am Mexican and have done these taco most of my life. I would omit the oregano. It’s too pungent on a simple vegetable guisado. I also use both Crema Mexicana and Sour Cream in mine. One tip, if you do not want it to spicy, when purchasing the Poblanos look for the straight stems. If they are curled they are spicier.
Brilliant Araceli – I will look at the stems next time- I had no idea. Thanks for the great tip!
Really delicious and really quite easy to make. Thanks very much.
So happy you enjoyed these!
Yummy and easy! Being midwinter when the corn is awful, I subbed diced sweet potato, roasted in the oven with olive oil and some cumin, ancho chili powder and some smoked paprika. Added the onion and poblano pepper strips to the same cookie sheet…(heated the corn tortillas in foil in the oven too): a 1 pan, 15 minute dinner! Loved it.
Glad you enjoyed it!
That sounds really good! Great sub; I think I’ll try it this way also!
This is SO DELICIOUS! I subbed some burrata for the Mexican crema and it was superb!
Thanks Jaime, glad you enjoyed!
Yet another fantastic recipe! I used the poblano peppers, baby portobello mushrooms and black beans. I roasted the poblanos and mushrooms in the oven. I also used plain almond yogurt to make it vegan. I love that you offer vegan subs when possible. Am waiting for you to write that book! I will be the first to buy : )
Awww… thanks Erin, and so happy you enjoyed these tacos!
This recipe is so delicious and easy to make. I got fresh corn tortillas from the market as that was a must. The flavours combined so well. I would make this again in a heartbeat and have shared recipe with others. Thanks Sylvia, I really love your recipes and have made so many hits. It’s so good to trust and follow someone like you! Cheers, Susan from Winnipeg
Thanks so much Susan! Appreciate this.
This is a fresh and tasty take on tacos! After a trip to the farmers market, I used corn, poblanos, a combo of onion and leek, and some pattypan squash. I used sour cream and went heavy on it because I wanted to finish the container. You can’t go wrong. I might add some black beans next time.
Love it Amanda! Yum to the black beans!
So good!! Such unique and fresh, I loved it so much! I added refried beans and avocado to my tacos. Delicious!!
Yum, that sounds perfect Angeli!
I made thos recipe today. It’s absolutely delicious. I also made an aji verde sauce to add on top. It’s my new favorite meal.
So happy you gave this a go!
This is absolutely fantastic! I’m not a vegetarian, but the food looked so inviting, I had to try… Meatless tacos, who knew these flavors can be so so satisfying! Flavors are spectacular!!!
Glad you enjoyed this!
Another hi! Got all the veggies at our farmers market and whipped this up when I got home. It is fantastic. I happened to have crema in the fridge from a taco bar last week but will try this with lime cashew cream next time. So yummy. Thanks again, for another fantastic recipe!
Awesome Jo! So happy you enjoyed this!
Oh my goodness this is DELICIOUS. Added the zucchini and the mushrooms – SO VERY GOOD. Very different from what I tend to think of for tacos, and as it turns out, in a good way.
Glad you gave these a go Jaeden!
This recipe sounds super yummy, rajas tacos are SO gooood- especially with nopalitos!
But after working in a couple of fancy Mexican restaurants, I respectfully mention that you that you might want to double check your chili reference. (poblanos and pasillas aren’t the same; a pasilla is a ripe, *dried* chilaca pepper. Fresh, they start out darker green and thinner than poblanos; when dried, they are smoky and have a lot of “bass”. They are totally swoon-worthy, but a very different flavor!)
Here is a good site explaining better than I do: https://bit.ly/3BeCZT2
PS- love your blog- your Mulligatawny is a favorite in this house!
Thanks Krista- yes, the Mulligatawny is a good one! And yes, you are correct about the pepper- yet in our area, in the PNW, the poblanos here in our grocery stores are often labeled “pasilla”. I do think this is a mislabeling- but it is a very common one. Here is a link https://www.melissas.com/products/pasilla-peppers. Note to readers: I would find the peppers that look closest to the ones in the post. Dark green and wide at the top. These are mild enough for this recipe;)
Regional variances are so interesting!
I think you are correct about the Melissa’s mislabeling. The chilis that their link shows certainly do look like what are called poblanos here. Our undried/fresh pasillas (chilacas) (or sometimes I’ve seen them called pasilla bajio) here are thinner and darker.
If someone here in the Chicago area went out and purchased what we commonly refer to as pasilla chilis (which would be dried) to make your rajas with, they would get a very different result, lol.
I have never seen the Melissa’s product here, probably because we have such large Latinx and Asian populations- we have piles of different chilis in bulk in the produce section at the stores in my hood. (and yes, I consider myself very lucky indeed. 🙂 )