Taco Tuesdays Get A Flavor Upgrade With A Fun Japanese Condiment Fusion

Taco Tuesdays will never get old. From topping your tacos with vinegary and tangy salsa to layering them up with spoonfuls of perfectly smooth guacamole and shredded cheese, Mexican taco combinations are endless. Experimenting with unexpected ingredients is part of the experience — because if someone doesn't add canned oysters to tacos, then how will we know that such a combo works so immaculately? If you want to upgrade your experience, merge Japanese flavors with Mexican tradition by adding wasabi to your taco.

While wasabi may seem like an unconventional taco item, it has the potential to enliven the taco ingredients and contrast well. Wasabi is made from the stem of the wasabi plant, and it's often pretty expensive when genuine wasabi is found in the U.S., but it's commonly found in Japanese kitchens. Wasabi is typically used in sushi and noodle dishes to bring complexity to the plate. The main thing to expect from this traditional Japanese ingredient is spice and pungency. The flavors found in wasabi ensure that your taco benefits from a gentler spice than a jalapeño pepper, which gets its heat from capsaicin, making the heat even sharper.

Japanese and Mexican flavors offer bold twists to meals when paired together to create fusion dishes. Wasabi with tacos is an unconventional but worthwhile pairing that can work for all types of taco lovers. Wasabi can be used as a topping on its own — or you can mix it with miso paste and ingredients like rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, or it can be combined with mayonnaise for a creamier sauce. Try spreading the wasabi mayonnaise on the inside of your tortilla to help the wasabi mesh with the other toppings.

If you're a meat eater, try adding wasabi sauce to steak tacos as a topping or a marinade, which will help the umami flavors in the steak really pop. The wasabi sauce can also be added to vegetable tacos, especially with tomatoes, radishes, and guacamole for a blend of zingy and acidic flavors. While wasabi offers spiciness, it can be made mellow by stirring it into sour cream or yogurt for a tangy but less spicy addition to tacos.

To bring even more vibrancy to your tacos, both with color and taste, try adding pickled onions (a staple in Mexican taquerias) as a tangy addition, which pairs well with the sharp wasabi flavors. Refreshing toppings like cilantro and pico de gallo will finish the wasabi tacos off perfectly.