This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Grilled Vietnamese-Inspired Steak Tacos with Lime & Fish Sauce Slaw are packed with fresh herbs, citrus, and a crunchy slaw for a bright, flavor-packed twist on taco night.
These tacos are inspired by the bright, bold flavors of Vietnamese cuisine featuring fresh lime juice, fish sauce, a little heat, and lots of crisp herbs. I love how those punchy, balanced flavors pair with smoky grilled steak and a crunchy slaw, all tucked into warm tortillas for a fun, weeknight-friendly twist.
But honestly, my favorite part about these tacos might just be that colorful slaw, which is made by combining fresh veggies like carrots, red onions, cucumbers, and radishes with a tangy, umami-packed sauce. You could even make this slaw as a separate side dish—it’s THAT good.
I think you guys will just love this delicious taco recipe and it will be one to really step up your summer grilling game.
ingredients:
- Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
- Rice Vinegar
- Fish Sauce
- Water
- Coconut Sugar
- Bird’s Eye Chili Peppers
- Garlic Cloves
- Flap Meat or Skirt Steak
- Avocado Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Coconut Aminos
- Fish Sauce
- Ground Coriander
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Red Onion
- Large Carrot
- English Cucumber
- Watermelon Radishes
- Tortillas
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fresh Thai Basil
- Lime Wedges
step-by-step:
step one: make the sauce
In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, water, coconut sugar, chili peppers, and garlic. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
step two: prep the steak
Use a meat mallet to pound the steak to 1/2-inch thickness.
step three: marinate the steak
Place the meat in a large ziploc bag or baking dish. Add the oil, salt, pepper, coconut aminos, fish sauce, coriander, cumin, and garlic. Toss to coat evenly. Let the steak marinade for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
step four: prep the slaw
In a large bowl, add the red onions, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, and 1/4 cup of the prepared sauce. Toss to combine. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.
step five: preheat the grill
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (400℉ to 450℉).
step six: grill the steak
Place the steak on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 140℉ for medium. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Once rested, thinly slice the steak against the grain.
step seven: assemble the tacos and serve
Divide the meat between the tortillas and top with slaw, cilantro, and thai basil. Serve with lime wedges and the remaining sauce. Enjoy!
recipe faqs:
Regular radishes or Daikon radishes can easily be swapped in place of watermelon radishes.
You can use serrano peppers, which are a little easier to find. They’re more mild than bird’s eye chili peppers, though, so you may want to increase the number of peppers that you use, depending on your spice preferences!
The next time you’re looking for a flavor-packed bite, I hope you’ll give these Grilled Vietnamese-Inspired Steak Tacos with Lime & Fish Sauce Slaw a try! Leave a comment below once you’ve tried them and let me know what you think!
looking for more taco recipes? try these!
Korean-Inspired Skirt Steak Tacos
Chipotle Sesame Adobo Steak Tacos
Grilled Vietnamese-Inspired Steak Tacos with Lime & Fish Sauce Slaw
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup fish sauce, such as Red Boat
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1-3 bird's eye chili peppers, very thinly sliced (1 for mild, 3 for hot)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
For the Steak:
- 1½ pounds flap meat or skirt steak, cut into 3 portions
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For the Slaw:
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion (from about 1/2 small onion)
- 1 cup matchstick carrots (from about 1/2 large carrot)
- 1 cup halved and thinly sliced English cucumber (from about 1/4 English cucumber)
- 1 cup peeled matchstick watermelon radishes
For serving:
- 8 tortillas, such as Siete
- chopped fresh cilantro, for serving
- chopped fresh thai basil, for serving
- lime wedges
Instructions
Make the Sauce:
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, water, coconut sugar, chili peppers, and garlic. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Prep the Steak:
- Use a meat mallet to pound the steak to 1/2-inch thickness.
- Place the meat in a large ziploc bag or baking dish. Add the oil, salt, pepper, coconut aminos, fish sauce, coriander, cumin, and garlic. Toss to coat evenly. Let the steak marinade for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Prep the Slaw:
- In a large bowl, add the red onions, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, and 1/4 cup of the prepared sauce. Toss to combine. Set aside until you’re ready to serve.
Make the Tacos:
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (400℉ to 450℉).
- Place the steak on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 140℉ for medium. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Once rested, thinly slice the steak against the grain.
- Divide the meat between the tortillas and top with slaw, cilantro, and thai basil. Serve with lime wedges and the remaining sauce. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe.
So many flavors!!
We have decided to make this into a rice/cauliflower bowl to soak up the delicious sauce – always a crowd pleaser!
Looks delish! For the steak: 1.5 lbs flap meat or skirt steak cut into 3 1/2 pound pieces – can you clarify what this means?
Cut the steak into 3 pieces 1/2 lb. each (1.5 lbs. total).
my goodness – made th https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/74ba98637756ee4fae47b0af723a9605c34dd8578ab718b45ae33446dbd4d163.jpg ese tonight and they were the biggest hit!! so delicious, my husband couldn’t stop picking the steak off the grill. delicious sauce and slaw, and used the Siete cashew flour tortillas. can’t wait to make this again!
I am delighted to hear that you and your hubby loved them 🙂