What Is a Smash Burger Taco, Anyway?

A smash burger taco is a taco that uses ground beef that’s pressed onto a tortilla and then seared directly on a griddle, which makes a nice thin, crispy burger while the tortilla toasts. It’s then typically topped with cheese, pickles, and special sauce. It became a Tiktok trend in 2023 after Brad Prose of Chilis and Smoke posted the idea (here’s his original smash burger recipe).

Though it’s a recent fad, the idea has existed for years and has roots in Mexican culture: read more about the history of the smash burger taco.

Here’s a pic I snapped on my phone on a real weeknight!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are a few notes on the ingredients needed:

• Ground chicken: It’s leaner than ground beef, but it tastes great here!
• The spice blend: Cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and oregano build a warm, smoky, taco-shop flavor. (As a swap, a couple tablespoons of a taco seasoning works.)
• Tortillas: I like using small 6-inch tortillas. Flour is my favorite and is easy to bend into a taco shape, but you can also use corn (which crisps more) or a corn and flour blend.
• Cheese: Mild cheddar (or a mix) is great; Alex and I also used smoked cheddar and it was incredible.
• Greek yogurt salsa special sauce: My riff on burger special sauce has Greek yogurt, a little olive oil mayo, mild salsa, and a hit of Cholula.
• Fresh toppings: Chopped lettuce, tomato, and quick pickled red onions are what I like to use!

Key Ingredients You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need for this lemon dill salmon recipe:

• Salmon fillets: I like using skin-on fillets for easier handling, but skin-off works too. Look for fresh, sustainably caught salmon when possible.
• Fresh dill: This fresh herb adds a brightness that dried dill simply can’t match.
• Greek yogurt and mayonnaise: I cut the traditional all-mayo dill sauce with Greek yogurt to lighten it up.
• Fresh lemon juice: The acidity of lemon balances the richness of the sauce.
• Garlic and onion powder: These spices add depth without overpowering. In my testing, I found that fresh garlic can sometimes be too strong.

More Ways to Use the Sauce

Once you taste this 5-minute lemon dill sauce, you’ll want to put it on everything. I’ve used it on so many other dishes beyond salmon:

• It would be great with other seafood like sauteed shrimp, baked trout, baked cod, or grilled halibut.
• Chicken works too, like pan seared chicken, baked chicken, or grilled chicken thighs.
• I also like it with vegetables like French fries, baked potato wedges, steamed broccoli or steamed cauliflower.

Tips For Fajitas On The Grill

These vegetarian fajitas are a breeze to make. Just keep these few tips in mind when making them:

• Grilled vegetables don’t require much babysitting. You want the peppers and portobello mushroom to develop those lovely grill marks, so don’t turn the vegetables too often. With that said, if you’re grilling your vegetables directly on the grill and not in a grill pan, you’ll want to watch them a little more closely just to be safe.
• Be aware of the salt. If you’re using a pre-made fajita spice blend like we did, you may need to adjust the amount of additional salt you add to this recipe. Many fajita spice blends contain salt, so you don’t want to add too much!
• Try the beans in foil. We really enjoyed the smoky flavor of our beans after we made them in foil packets over the grill. But if you don’t have time for this step, you can also heat up the beans over the stove.

What to Serve Alongside

Of course, dill pickle potato salad is perfect with anything you’d make for a summer cookout or patio party. Here are some of my favorite ideas:

• Grilled proteins: Try it with grilled chicken thighs, grilled salmon, grilled shrimp, or grilled tofu.
• Summer salads: Add my easy coleslaw recipe, three bean salad, caprese pasta salad, or broccoli cauliflower salad.
• Dips: I like adding my fruit skewers and fruit dip or veggies and ranch dip.
• Drinks: Pair it with a frozen mojito, blueberry smash, or paloma mocktail.

More Potato Salad & Side Dish Recipes to Try

• Dill Potato Salad
• Creamy Red Potato Salad
• My Best Vegan Potato Salad
• Sweet Potato Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Dill Pickle Pasta Salad
• Dill Pickle Chicken Salad