Tacos de Carnitas con Salsa Verde (Crispy Pork Tacos)
Tender slow cooked pork crisped in a hot pan, piled into corn tortillas with green salsa and sharp pink pickled onions.
Made with Salsa verde (cooked tomatillo salsa) and Corn tortillas from masa harina and Carnitas (slow cooked pork). Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time25 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £3.80 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Take the carnitas out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking. Pull it into bite size pieces, keeping any fat and jelly that clings to it.
- 2
Heat the sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the pork in a single layer, working in two batches if needed, and press down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes without stirring, until the underside is crisp and browned. Turn and cook for 2 minutes more.
5 min - 3
Warm the corn tortillas one at a time in a dry pan for 30 seconds each side. Stack them in a clean tea towel to stay soft.
- 4
Slice the red onion thinly, squeeze it with the juice of 1 lime and a pinch of salt, and leave for 15 minutes. Mix the chopped white onion with the coriander.
- 5
Spoon a little crisp pork onto each tortilla. Top with your ready made salsa verde (see the base recipe), the quick pickled red onion and the onion and coriander mix.
- 6
Serve at once with lime wedges, 3 tacos each. The pork must be steaming hot all the way through.
Tips
- Do not stir while the pork crisps. The golden crust only forms when the pieces sit on the hot pan.
- Use two tortillas stacked per taco if yours are thin, as is common at taco stands, so the juices do not tear them.
- Add the salsa at the table, not before, so the crisp edges stay crisp.
Storing and freezing
Leftover crisped pork keeps 3 days in the fridge in a covered tub. Reheat in a hot pan until steaming throughout.
Questions
Can I use shop bought corn tortillas?
Yes. Choose ones made only from corn, masa harina, water and salt, and check the label if you need them gluten free. Warm them well so they bend without cracking.
What if I do not have pickled onions?
Use thinly sliced red onion squeezed with lime juice and a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. It gives a similar sharpness, though a day of pickling is milder.
More made with salsa verde (cooked tomatillo salsa)
Huevos Divorciados con Arroz Rojo (Divorced Eggs with Red and Green Salsa)
GFNFTortitas de Arroz Rojo con Salsa Verde (Red Rice Fritters with Green Salsa)
GFNFTacos de Barbacoa de Res con Salsa Verde (Beef Barbacoa Tacos)
GFDFEFCeviche Verde de Pescado (Green Fish Ceviche)
GFDFEFSee every dish made with salsa verde (cooked tomatillo salsa)
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
