Cook This: 3 recipes from Sunny Days, Taco Nights, including hard shells filled with a meaty mix

Article content

Our cookbook of the week is Sunny Days, Taco Nights by acclaimed Mexican chef Enrique Olvera with food critic Alonso Ruvalcaba.

Jump to the recipes:hard-shell tacos, chorizo tacos and prawn tacos.

A trip to Japan changed chef Enrique Olvera‘s perspective on the taco. Born and raised in Mexico City, he was struck by the idea that respect for the street food staple could mirror that for sushi. As sushi spans various contexts and complexity, from 7-Elevens to legendary omakase restaurants, so too could tacos.

“The first time I went to Japan, I was very impressed by the fact that sushi had such a range,” says Olvera. “When I went to a fancy omakase, of course, you would see the personality of the chef. It was very subtle, but you would see the differences in how they cooked the rice.”

Olvera’s train of thought went from rice to tortillas. Japanese chefs make sushi rice their own, just as their Mexican counterparts have different techniques for nixtamalizing corn, from the rinsing to the grinding. Like rice in Japan, corn isn’t only a core food but a critical crop that Mexican livelihoods depend on.

He was also struck by how simple but seasonal sushi is. “Good tacos are kind of the same,” says Olvera. “Those three components changed the way I understood tacos. And that’s where we started to say, ‘OK, you can make three-Michelin-starred sushi. You can also do that with tacos.'”

Olvera opened his first restaurant, the two-Michelin-starred Pujol, in 2000. Around 2010, they started experimenting with tacos for the first time, and in 2011, they created a menu centred on them. When Pujol expanded in 2017, the revamp included a 10-seat taco omakase, Mexico City’s first taco tasting menu, according to The New York Times, which remains today.

His deep appreciation for the taco — Mexico’s “super democratic” food — and the native corn at its foundation, led to Olvera’s latest cookbook, Sunny Days, Taco Nights (with Alonso Ruvalcaba, Phaidon, 2025).

“It’s for everyone,” Olvera says of the taco. “It doesn’t matter which social class you are or age group. Everybody loves them. And also, one great thing is that it’s very adaptable. So, if you’re making tacos in Canada, Mexico or Brazil, there’s always the possibility of adaptation.”

Olvera and Ruvalcaba, a food critic and close friend, had long talked about writing a taco book. When they first added tacos to the menu at Pujol, Ruvalcaba was fascinated by the fact that they were “courageous” enough to serve tacos in a fine-dining setting, Olvera recalls. “He’s somebody who understands Mexican taco culture profoundly. He’s not only a thinker, but an eater, so it was great to collaborate with him.”

Like his last cookbook, Tu Casa Mi Casa (2019), the 100 recipes are for home cooks. Olvera says he’s always been interested in functionality and writing books people can use. Restaurant cookbooks may be beautiful and inspiring, but they’re difficult for non-professionals to cook from.

Sunny Days, Taco Nights is divided into four parts: classic tacos, original tacos, salsas and tortillas. Rooted both in their neighbourhoods and regions, taquerias in Mexico are very specific, says Olvera. The opening classics chapter features Mexican street tacos illustrating this specificity, such as Yucatán-style cochinita pibil, Sinaloa-style fish and Tijuana-style grilled tacos.

The originals showcase Olvera’s contemporary, composed creations, requiring more preparation and components. Pujol’s earliest taco explorations are among them, such as avocado flautas, sea bass tataki al pastor, sea urchin, and fish chorizo tacos, showing applications beyond the traditional.

“That’s the beauty of tacos — that they literally can hold anything. You go to Los Angeles, for example, and see Mexican-Korean tacos, and they work great. And also, it’s important for people to understand that tacos are a way of eating. It’s not only a dish. If you have tortillas, you could make a taco out of anything.”

Pujol celebrated its 25th anniversary in May. When Olvera was at culinary school in New York in the late 1990s, “contemporary Mexican cuisine” wasn’t yet part of the conversation. Having been professionally trained in European techniques, Olvera writes that he didn’t feel confident enough in traditional Mexican recipes to reinterpret them in the restaurant’s early days. But when he started to play with the street foods he loved as a child, such as robalito al pastor and quesadilla, that began to change.

“What’s nice now is that I think people feel very comfortable using Mexican cuisine as a creative platform instead of a heritage cuisine. Before, Mexican chefs and people from outside saw Mexican food as something that was traditional and old and something that we must protect, but not something that we can use creatively to complement our own story or as a platform to create something more personal.”

Today, Olvera sees Mexican techniques and ingredients popping up in restaurants around the world. At home, there’s a “huge movement in almost every corner of Mexico” of small, contemporary restaurants. “I’m the first promoter of traditional and classic food, but I think this complements the variety, and it’s nice just to play around with food.”

Conserving Mexican corn has become central to Olvera’s work, and the cover of Sunny Days, Taco Nights showcases its diversity, ranging in colour from golden yellow to deep blue. Olvera highlights that though we tend to speak of ingredients in singular form, “everything is plural.”

“With corn, the more we know, the more we realize it’s a huge universe. Because it’s not only the varietals or the families, but the singular plants and how they also adapt to the terroirs, the same as coffee or wine, I think this is how we’re going to start approaching most of the crops, where we recognize the differences, even if they’re subtle, of temperature, of altitude, and of the plant itself.”

How you nixtamalize, mill and cook corn can also have a huge impact, as can the thickness and shape of the tortilla. “It can be as profound as you want it to be, and it could also be simple. And that’s fine. I think those are the best products, when they can be very simple, very comforting, but also super complex and profound.”

HARD-SHELL TACOS

Makes: 4

For the filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200 g (7 oz) bacon, finely chopped
300 g (10 1/2 oz) ground beef
300 g (10 1/2 oz) ground pork
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
Salt

To serve:
4 crispy corn tortillas (store-bought)
Guacamole (recipe follows)
Pico de gallo (recipe follows)
2 lettuce leaves, chopped
Lime wedges

FOR THE FILLING

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onion, garlic and bacon and sauté for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to brown. Add the beef and pork and sauté for 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Stir in the soy sauce, mustard and Worcestershire sauce, Season with the pepper and salt.

TO SERVE

Fill the tortillas with the meat filling. Top with guacamole, pico de gallo and lettuce. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

GUACAMOLE

Makes: 1 1/4 cup (300 mL)

1 serrano chili, thinly sliced into rings, with seeds
1 clove garlic
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
4 avocados, pitted and cubed
2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
Chopped cilantro leaves
Juice of 3 key limes
Salt

Step 1

In a molcajete or large mortar and pestle, crush the chili, garlic and onion into a paste. Add the avocados and gently mash. Using a spoon, mix in the tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt.

Step 2

Serve the guacamole in the molcajete or mortar and pestle.

Step 3

The guacamole can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

PICO DE GALLO

Makes: 1 1/4 cup (300 mL)

20 cilantro leaves, finely chopped
10 tomatoes, finely chopped (see note)
2 serrano chilies, stemmed and finely chopped
1 white onion, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
Juice of 1 key lime

Step 1

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Step 2

The pico de gallo can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

Note: If you like, remove the tomato seeds to avoid excess liquid.

CHORIZO TACOS

Makes: 4

For the green chorizo:
2 large bunches spinach, leaves only
1 large bunch cilantro, large stems removed
1 small bunch parsley, leaves only
3 serrano chiles, stemmed
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp salt
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) ground pork
250 g (9 oz) lard
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp ground oregano
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1 cup (100 g) chopped pumpkin seeds, roasted
Scant 1 cup (100 g) chopped peanuts, roasted
Scant 1 cup (100 g) chopped almonds, roasted
3/4 cup (100 g) raisins
2 tbsp olive oil

To serve:
4 corn tortillas
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
10 cilantro leaves, chopped
4 lime wedges
Your choice of sauces

FOR THE GREEN CHORIZO

Step 1

Fill a saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a boil over high heat.

Step 2

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by putting a little ice and water in a deep bowl.

Step 3

When the water begins to boil, add the spinach and herbs separately in batches. Cook each for 2 minutes, then transfer to the bowl with the ice to cool. Transfer the spinach and herbs to a blender. Add the serrano chiles, vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth.

Step 4

In a large bowl, combine the meat, lard, spices, pumpkin seeds, nuts, raisins and spinach mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate.

Step 5

Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil and the marinated meat and cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.

TO SERVE

Heat a skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Add the tortillas, flipping them continuously for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Transfer to a plate and top each tortilla with 2-3 tablespoons of green chorizo. Serve with onion, cilantro, lime wedges and your choice of sauces on the side.

PRAWN TACOS

Makes: 4

For the marinated prawns:
10 dried guajillo chilies
5 dried ancho chilies
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
15 raw prawns, peeled, deveined and diced
100 g (3 1/2 oz) Chihuahua cheese, grated

For the bean paste:
Scant 1/2 cup (100 g) black beans, soaked overnight
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 dried chiles de árbol

To serve:
4 corn tortillas
4 tbsp bean paste
3 tbsp marinated prawns
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 serrano chilies, stemmed and thinly sliced into rings
6 lettuce leaves, chopped
Cilantro leaves, whole
4 lime wedges

FOR THE MARINATED PRAWNS

Step 1

Put the chilies, onion and garlic in a saucepan. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chilies are softened. Drain.

Step 2

Transfer the onion mixture to a blender and blend into a thick paste.

Step 3

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, the prawns and the chili paste to the pan. Sauté for 7 minutes or until the mixture just starts to turn a deep red colour (or darkens). Sprinkle with the cheese and let it melt.

FOR THE BEAN PASTE

Step 1

Place the beans in a saucepan, then add twice the amount of water. Add the salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the beans are softened.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté for 15 minutes or until the onion is caramelized. Add the beans with their cooking liquid and the chilies and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend into a homogeneous paste.

TO SERVE

Heat a skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Add the tortillas, flipping them continuously for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Transfer to a plate, spread 1 tablespoon of bean paste on each tortilla, then top with cheese-covered prawns. Top with the onion, serrano chili, lettuce and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Recipes and images excerpted from Sunny Days, Taco Nights ©2025 by Enrique Olvera. Photography ©2025 by Araceli Paz. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our cookbook and recipe newsletter, Cook This, here.