Last summer, I told Farmer Chuck — the king of everything delicious at our CSA Sunrise Farm — that the onions we'd been getting in our basket were...
Read MorePaleo Al Pastor Tacos
Geniune al pastor tacos originated in Central Mexico and in spirit are more like Greek gyros or Lebanese shawarma than the recipe below. They’re carved from a giant slab of pork that’s been mixed with other ingredients (potentially non-paleo ingredients) and roasted over a spit.
Much as I adore the notion of adding a personal rotisserie spit to my kitchen arsenal, the only realistic way for me to eat al pastor tacos at home was to get creative. I replaced corn tortillas with sweet, fresh butter lettuce leaves and diced leftover BBQ pulled pork as a stand-in for the al pastor. The results were just what I hoped: complementary flavors that danced the Jarabe Tapatío on my tongue: sweet/salty, cool/hot, crisp/chewy.
What follows is not so much a recipe, but the ingredients you need to build paleo al pastor tacos. Pineapple required; sombrero optional.
Ingredients:
leftover BBQ pulled pork or pork carnitas, approx. 4-6 oz. per person
avocado, diced
fresh pineapple, diced – or sugar-free canned pineapple chunks, packed in its own juice
1/2 yellow onion, diced
a few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
a fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 head Boston or butter lettuce, separated and washed
Directions:
This is complicated, so pay attention. Place the diced bits into the lettuce leaves and eat. I like to pile all the ingredients in individual bowls, then let everyone build their own.
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But what do I do with the “chopped” cilantro?? Cooking is so hard! 🙂
oh my god…I L.O.V.E. al pastor tacos. This one mexican place nearby has the best I’ve ever eaten. I used to eat like 6 at a time lol. Sooo good. Thanks for this paleo version!
Austin’s al pastor taco scene is pretty good, too… but having a clean option at home is pretty fun. Enjoy!
“This is complicated, so pay attention.” – LOL
I don’t know if you take requests yet (lol) but if you could make a recipe for paleo salmon skin rolls (or just how to prepare the salmon skin, I have no idea!) I would really appreciate it! 🙂
I LOVE taking requests. I’ll add that to my list… I don’t know how to prepare salmon skin either, but it will be fun to learn.