From simple supermarket kits to high-end restaurant revamps, a whole spectrum of taco offerings now exists for your pleasure.

These small but mighty Mexican staples are finally getting the credit they deserve on the worldwide culinary stage. Their spiritual home is the street food scene and if you think tacos are unhealthy food, think again! Tacos are much more than ground beef and grated cheese in a crispy shell; they are good food that is good for you.

The modern taco trend has taken the world by a storm, and the popularity of these tortilla-wrapped treats is spreading with taco restaurants now established all over the globe. Tacos hail from Mexico and traditional recipes generally involve long-simmered meat or poultry, topped with crispy vegetables, wrapped or sealed in a soft flour or corn tortilla, and served with a dollop of spicy salsa. It is street food par excellence and as the trend has grown, so have the options for filings.

This book offers a collection of recipes for taco fillings, with some traditional recipes along with a good selection of contemporary twists to get you hooked on the taco-making craze. Recipes include Lime-marinated Rib Eye Tacos with Red Onion Relish, Chipotle Chicken and Ancho-roasted Butternut Squash, Seafood with Mango-kiwi Salsa and Charred Corn and Vegetables with Chipotle-lime Mayo. There is also a chapter on versatile sides and salsas as a taco is often only as good as the extras you add to it – check out Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Tomatillo Salsa and Baja Slaw.

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Burger Tacos

Putting some vegetables in the meat mixture for these burgers bumps up the nutrition and the mint adds something a bit special.

500 g/1 lb. 2 oz. minced/ground beef

½ yellow (bell) pepper, finely chopped

½ red (bell) pepper, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¼ red onion, finely chopped

½ courgette/zucchini, finely chopped

10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground cumin

Chipotle ketchup

600 ml/ 2 ½ cups tomato ketchup

1 tbsp freshly chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped chipotle chilli/chile

Serve with

8 slices of Cheddar cheese

8 flour or corn tortillas, warmed

8 romaine lettuce leaves

1 tomato, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

SERVES 4

First make the chipotle ketchup. Place all the ingredients in a blender with 90 ml/ 6 tablespoons water and blend for 1–2 minutes. Refrigerate until you are ready to use.

Place the minced beef, peppers, garlic, onion, courgette, mint, salt, pepper and cumin in a mixing bowl and mix together well. Divide the mixture into four equal portions and form a burger with each one. Cook them in a griddle pan or frying pan/skillet for 3–4 minutes on each side, turning occasionally to ensure the meat is cooked through.

When cooked, remove from the heat and top each burger with a slice of Cheddar cheese.

Place a tortilla on a plate, layer on a lettuce leaf, then the burger with cheese, and top with tomato and red onion. Serve with the bowl of Chipotle Ketchup for people to serve themselves. Or if you wish, you can smear the ketchup over the tortillas before laying on the lettuce, burger and other toppings.

Note: To make these tacos easier to eat, you can cut them in half horizontally to make a thinner burger and stack as above.

Recipe reprinted with permission from Firefly Book.