Crispy Taco Shells Recipes

OVEN BAKED TACO SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spread out the tortillas and microwave until extremely soft and pliable. Depending on your microwave this can take between 1-3 minutes. They should be hot and really pliable when you take them out.
• You can wrap them in a moist paper towel to make them even softer. Immediately wrap in a towel or place in a ziploc bag to keep them warm. Keeping them soft is the key to not having them break in the oven.
• Then carefully spray each tortilla with cooking spray on both sides. Sprinkle with lime juice and seasoning if using. Gently drape over the oven grates, pressing down ever so lightly. I press mine over two grates so that the taco shells stand up nicely and have lots of room to press things in.
• Repeat with remaining shells and then bake for 8-10 minutes until brown and crispy. These can go from perfect to burnt quickly so be sure to keep an eye on them.

HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS

Steps:

• Stir masa harina, water and salt together in a medium bowl. Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands for 2 minutes. The dough should feel smooth and easily form a ball in your hand. If the mixture is dry and crumbly, add more water, a tablespoonful at a time. If it is sticky, add a bit more masa harina. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Keep the dough covered with a kitchen towel while you work. Roll 1 piece in your hands to form a ball. Place the ball between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and flatten with the palm of your hand. Use the palm of your hand or a rolling pin to flatten into a 5-inch disc. Alternatively, use a tortilla press to flatten the dough.
• Heat a small cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tortilla and cook until the edges start to curl and the bottom is browned in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn over and cook until the underside is browned in spots, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium if the tortilla starts to burn. Shape and cook the remaining dough in the same manner. While a tortilla cooks, you can shape the next one. Stack the cooked tortillas and keep them wrapped in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.

HARD TACO SHELLS

Steps:

• Heat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Use tongs to place one tortilla at a time into the oil. It should start to sizzle right away. Cook for about 15 seconds, then flip over and fold the shell in half, holding in place with the tongs until crispy, about 15 seconds. You may need a little practice at first. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt while still hot. Use for tacos right away, or they may become chewy. Leftovers may be heated in the oven for crisping.

AIR FRYER OVEN TACO SHELLS

Steps:

• Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place a mini muffin tin pan upside down the air fryer basket. Position tortillas in the indents of the muffin tin. Place the basket on the lowest rack of the air fryer oven.
• Air fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove tortillas from mini muffin tin pan and place upside down in the basket. Air fry until bottom side is crispy and golden brown, 1 minute more.

CRISP TACO SHELLS

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed, straight-sided skillet, heat 1 inch vegetable oil over medium until it registers 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Add a corn tortilla and fry 15 seconds per side.
• Fold tortilla in half, pressing one side to bottom of skillet and holding other side up with tongs. Cook until crisp and golden, 15 to 30 seconds. Flip and repeat, pressing other side into oil.
• Drain on paper towels. Repeat to make as many shells as you like; a good rule of thumb is 2 tacos per person.

BUBBLY TACO SALAD BOWLS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set 4 oven-safe cereal bowls on a large rimmed baking sheet. Then set a large 12-14 inch skillet on the stovetop over medium heat.
• Pour 1 tablespoon oil into the skillet. Once hot, place the tortilla in the skillet. Use tongs to swirl the tortilla to coat it in oil, flip it over, and swirl it again. It needs to be coated in oil, on both sides, right away.
• Pan-fry the tortilla for 30-45 seconds per side, allowing it to puff up with large bubbles. (The bigger the bubbles the better!) Flip and repeat. Make sure the tortilla isn't turning dark. It should be golden-brown.
• Use tongs to move the tortilla to one of the cereal bowls. Tuck it down into the bottom of the bowl, to create a bowl shape with the tortilla. Take care not to deflate the bubbles.
• Repeat with the remaining three tortillas. Once all the tortillas are flash-fried and shaped into bowls, bake for 9-10 minutes until very crispy. Cool and fill.

EASY AIRFRYER CRISPY TACO SHELLS

Steps:

• Spray the top and bottom of each corn tortilla shell.
• Hang the taco shells over 2 of the grates in your oven rack . This will create a place for your fillings and secure the shells.
• Set oven to 400 degrees and airfry for 4-5 minutes. Just watch the taco shells and remove them when they are slightly golden and crisp. Fill with your favorite fillings and enjoy.See post for more ideas on how to prepare and use these taco shells and to get the instructions for oven baking!