Top Tacos With An Iconic, Crispy Latin American Snack

Tacos aren't just for Tuesday; they are delicious every night of the week. Maybe you've fallen into a taco rut, however, and are craving a fresh, new approach to taco toppings that will make your taste buds sing. Marc Marrone, executive chef at Arriba Abajo in Austin, Texas, spoke exclusively with Foodie about how a beloved Latin American snack can elevate your humdrum tacos from ordinary to zesty and exciting.

The secret? Chicharrones. This pork rind, made by crisping pork skin or pork belly, is sometimes used as a taco filling by itself, but it really shines as a crunchy topping that brings salt and texture to your taco. Marrone raves about the combination of chicharrones and nopales, which are young cactus petals, atop the taco of your choice. "The combination is delicious as a stand-alone dish," he states, but when you layer it atop your taco? "[It] brings the dish to the next level." The element that brings everything together is a particular red salsa — and, yes, there is a difference between that and pico de gallo.

It seems like every home cook has their own closely-guarded salsa recipe. In East Texas, the secret ingredient in their salsa roja is butter! But Marrone claims that a salsa made from smoky guajillo peppers is the right accompaniment for your chicharrones and nopales atop your favorite taco. He calls the trio "one of my favorite ways to elevate a taco."

Whether you favor tacos with beef, chicken, lamb, seafood, or veggies, Marrone's toppings contribute to the most unique and flavorful tacos ever. Spring for homemade, restaurant-style tortillas in lieu of store-bought, and you have yourself a meal (or snack!) that will have you craving more. Perhaps the best part about Marrone's taco is that it is so easy to concoct. Both microwavable chicharrones and jarred nopales can be shipped straight to your door. Fresh salsa is always best, and making your own red guajillo salsa is as easy as rehydrating seeded and stemmed dried guajillos and blending them with garlic, onion, canned tomatoes, and seasoning. You read that right: almost everything you need for this delicious, unique taco is available online.

With the chicharrones taking the lead and nopales plus spicy, complex salsa rounding out the toppings, every bite of your taco will taste better than takeout.