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📍 Atlixco

Atlixco Cecina

· Lunch

A thin sheet of salted, sun-dried beef, charcoal-grilled and served with nopales, cheese, avocado, and handmade tortillas.

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Atlixco Cecina: A thin sheet of salted, sun-dried beef, charcoal-grilled and served with nopales, cheese, avocado, and handmade tortillas.
Photo: Capucine Byron · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto resized, converted to WebP and cropped for display.
⏱ 30 min🍽 4 servings📊 Easy🏷 Commonly associated🌱 Gluten-free
Preparation
20 min
Cooking
10 min
Waiting and resting
0 min

History

The making of cecina in Atlixco dates back some 200 years, when fine beef cuts were salted and sun-dried. Today it is the culinary standard-bearer of the Magical Town and has its own Cecina Fair.

Ingredients

Adjust quantities

Only numeric quantities at the start of an ingredient are adjusted. Descriptive quantities, seasoning to taste and timings remain unchanged; check them when changing servings.

Preparation

  1. 1

    Keep cecina refrigerated until cooking and preheat the griddle or grill.

  2. 2

    Cook cecina on a preheated griddle or grill and check internal temperature and resting using the beef cooking reference.

  3. 3

    Grill the previously salted nopales.

  4. 4

    Serve the cecina with nopales, cheese, and avocado.

  5. 5

    Accompany with pickled chiles and pico de gallo.

  6. 6

    Offer warm tortillas and crema for making tacos.

Cooking tips

  • Cook cecina to at least 63 °C and rest 3 minutes; do not rely on only a few seconds per side.

Technique and preparation

What to check during preparation

You do not need to leave raw meat unrefrigerated before cooking. Preheat the griddle while preparing accompaniments and dry the cecina surface. Cook without overlapping pieces and follow the beef temperature and resting reference rather than relying on a few seconds per side. Salted meat contributes salt, so taste before seasoning cactus and sauces. Serve with warm tortillas and add cream and cheese last.

References to consult

References provide information about the dish, its context or a technique. Quantities in this version may differ from those in the source.

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