Lime Crema for Steak Tacos

In short

This crema was built for the steak tacos at the live BBQ event: creamy enough to hold meat and tortilla together, fresh enough to balance fat, salt and roasted flavours. Sour cream gives it body, Greek yogurt keeps it lighter, lime brings the lift. Not a heavy dip, but a fresh counterpoint to fire cooking.

Ingredients

• 150 g sour cream
• 80 g Greek yogurt
• zest of 1 organic lime
• 1-2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• optional: pinch of cumin
• optional: chili or cayenne to taste

Setup

• fine grater
• small bowl
• whisk or spoon
• squeeze bottle or clean jar

Method

1. Add sour cream and Greek yogurt to a bowl and stir until smooth.
2. Wash the lime, grate the zest finely and squeeze the juice.
3. Stir in lime zest, 1 tbsp lime juice, garlic, honey and olive oil.
4. Season with salt and black pepper.
5. Add a pinch of cumin if you want more depth.
6. Add chili or cayenne if you want heat.
7. Let it rest chilled for at least 30 minutes.
8. Taste again before serving. Adjust with lime juice, salt or honey.

Why it works

Sour cream gives the crema body and keeps it stable on warm tacos. Greek yogurt makes it lighter. Lime juice and zest bring acidity and freshness, garlic adds depth and honey rounds off the edges. That is why it works with steak tacos: it makes the bite juicier without covering the beef and roasted flavours.

Scaling for events

For about 100 small tasting tacos, use:

• 1.0 kg sour cream
• 500 g Greek yogurt
• zest and juice of 8 limes
• 4-5 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 3 tbsp honey
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
• optional cumin and chili

Stir until smooth, let it rest for at least 30 minutes and fill into squeeze bottles or chill in gastro containers for service.

Philipp's tip

Do not make the crema too thin. On tacos it should stay doseable and not run straight out of the tortilla. If you fill it into a squeeze bottle, keep it slightly thicker first and adjust with a few drops of lime juice at the end.

Goes with

• steak tacos from the plancha or fire plate
• grilled beef
• grilled chicken
• grilled leeks or peppers
• burgers with strong roasted flavours
• pickled red onions