Every Tuesday AY will be highlighting a different taco from one of our many wonderful Mexican restaurants and food trucks throughout Arkansas. And what better place to kick off this new feature than the wildly popular Heights Taco & Tamale Co.in Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood?
The menu is filled with plenty of winners, from enchiladas to tamales to nachos to fajitas, but this feature is all about the tacos. In this case, the Crispy Ahi Tuna Tacos.
“We wanted a seafood based, lighter option on the Heights Taco & Tamale Co. menu. We played with several ceviches, salads and other more traditional healthful options and kept coming back to that taco. We loved the idea of using a crunchy corn tortilla as opposed to our house made flour tortillas for the many people who are conscious of carbs, but also the crunch of the corn tortilla is a really nice accompaniment to the soft, rare tuna. That taco really delivers on taste, texture and healthfulness. I’m very proud of it,” says owner/operator Ben Brainard.
He should be. While Heights Taco’s Pickle Fried Chicken Tacos justifiably get a lot of attention, I tend to lean towards the tuna, especially during these hot summer months when lighter menu items are my preference. And Brainard is correct about the crunchy corn tortilla. While I almost always prefer soft flour tortillas, and even substituted them in a few years back on my original order, crunchy, as I recently found out, is the way to go for these tacos.
Do not worry about these tortillas becoming a crumbly mess after one bite. The shell holds it shape and pairs wonderfully with the lightly seared tuna, habanero sauce, lime slaw, cucumber, cilantro, and pico de gallo. A touch of guacamole and sliced jalapeno on top finish things off. You get two tacos and two sides with each order. I enjoy the green chilé tomato rice and refried bacon smoky pinto beans, but if you are looking to go a little healthier, the black beans and tomato cucumber salad are nice options.
Brainard also recommends pairing one of Lost Forty Brewing’s 2nd Rodeo beers or a frozen mojito with these tacos.
Cheers to that!
READ MORE: The Taco The Town – Taco Bucket List