Collection
Taco Night
Twelve recipes we reach for when the brief is “taco night”.
- Recipes
- 12
- Curated by
- Yusuf
- Updated
- January 2026
About this collection
If you can chop red onion and hold a heavy cast-iron pan, you can make this. We promise. We tested this 3 times in the Snack Crawl kitchen, and the version with gochujang won every single round. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this.
Yusuf, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. Do not skip the fennel; it is the bright note that stops the whole plate from feeling heavy. The crisp edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.
1. Charred Salmon Croquettes
We like to make the filling the night before, when the kitchen is quiet and nobody is asking what is for dinner.
A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside. We tested this 3 times in the Snack Crawl kitchen, and the version with curry leaves won every single round. We like to make the filling the night before, when the kitchen is quiet and nobody is asking what is for dinner. If your ingredients is releasing a lot of water, your pan is not hot enough. Take everything out, get it smoking, and start again in smaller batches.
There are snacks you eat standing at the counter, and then there are charred salmon croquettes — the kind you clear your evening for. If you can chop sweetcorn and hold a fish slice, you can make this. We promise.
2. Garlicky Pumpkin Toasties
It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate.
The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the caster sugar hydrates as it rests. It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate. This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it. Kenji swears by adding the baby spinach in two stages: half cooked in for sweetness, half raw at the end for crunch.
Leftover filling is excellent on toast the next morning with a fried egg. We first ate something like this at a street stall in Marrakesh, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. It is weeknight-friendly if you are organised and weekend-worthy if you are not. If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 200°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked.
3. Sticky Halloumi Gyoza
This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it.
We first ate something like this at a street stall in Naples, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end. It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside.
It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate. The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the unsalted butter hydrates as it rests.
4. Brown-Butter Tomato Fritters
The trick with tomato fritters is patience: let the tomato take on proper colour before you even think about moving it.
This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it. No pomegranate molasses? A mix of harissa and a little black pepper gets you most of the way there.
No panko? A mix of rice vinegar and a little vegetable stock gets you most of the way there. Clara, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”.
5. Crispy Chickpea Spring Rolls
Kenji, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”.
It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate. We like to make the filling the night before, when the kitchen is quiet and nobody is asking what is for dinner. We first ate something like this at a street stall in Bangkok, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside.
This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it. The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the black pepper hydrates as it rests.
6. Lemony Cauliflower Skewers
It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate.
If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 170°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked. We first ate something like this at a street stall in Istanbul, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside.
There are snacks you eat standing at the counter, and then there are lemony cauliflower skewers — the kind you clear your evening for. This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it.
7. Charred Leek Hand Pies
The charred edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.
If you can chop shallots and hold a wide non-stick frying pan, you can make this. We promise. Leftover filling is excellent on toast the next morning with a fried egg. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this.
Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end. The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the cider vinegar hydrates as it rests. It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate.
8. Roasted Tomato Fritters
A spoonful of brown butter does the heavy lifting here, giving the tomato a depth that tastes like you cooked all day.
Dev, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside. The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the chicken stock hydrates as it rests.
This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this. It is weeknight-friendly if you are organised and weekend-worthy if you are not. The crisp edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.
9. Creamy Pork Empanadas
The trick with pork empanadas is patience: let the pork take on proper colour before you even think about moving it.
If you can chop ginger and hold a wire rack, you can make this. We promise. The trick with creamy pork empanadas is patience: let the ingredients take on proper colour before you even think about moving it. There are snacks you eat standing at the counter, and then there are creamy pork empanadas — the kind you clear your evening for. Leftover filling is excellent on toast the next morning with a fried egg.
The crisp edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning. Tomasz, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. Yusuf swears by adding the ginger in two stages: half cooked in for sweetness, half raw at the end for crunch. This is a recipe built for sharing, which is a polite way of saying you should double it.
10. Brown-Butter Egg Hash
The trick with egg hash is patience: let the egg take on proper colour before you even think about moving it.
No capers? A mix of tamarind and a little eggs gets you most of the way there. Season in layers. A pinch at each stage beats a panic-handful at the end. If you can chop kale and hold a bamboo steamer, you can make this. We promise.
A spoonful of panko does the heavy lifting here, giving the ingredients a depth that tastes like you cooked all day. The crisp edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.
11. Smoky Leek Hand Pies
Imani, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”.
Noor, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. No smoked paprika? A mix of tamarind and a little black pepper gets you most of the way there. Do not skip the sweetcorn; it is the bright note that stops the whole plate from feeling heavy.
Dev, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. We first ate something like this at a street stall in Marrakesh, balanced on a plastic stool, and spent the flight home reverse-engineering it. The crisp edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning.
12. Roasted Mushroom Quesadillas
It reheats well, travels well, and disappears at parties at a frankly alarming rate.
Aroha, who runs our test kitchen on Thursdays, calls this “the one that ruins other snacks for you”. The crisp edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning. If you can chop spring onions and hold a microplane, you can make this. We promise.
The crisp edge is what people remember, so be brave with the heat and generous with the seasoning. We tested this 6 times in the Snack Crawl kitchen, and the version with ghee won every single round. Every stop on a good snack crawl needs a headliner, and at our table it is usually this. It looks like a project, but most of the work is waiting, and waiting pairs beautifully with a drink.
How we choose
The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the breadcrumbs hydrates as it rests. Our version is not traditional and does not pretend to be — think of it as a respectful remix from a small, noisy test kitchen. No harissa? A mix of white pepper and a little cider vinegar gets you most of the way there. A digital thermometer takes the guesswork out. You are aiming for steaming hot in the centre and audibly crisp outside.
The mixture will look too wet at first. Trust it; the plain flour hydrates as it rests. If you are cooking for a crowd, hold finished batches in a 160°C oven on a wire rack, never stacked. Our version is not traditional and does not pretend to be — think of it as a respectful remix from a small, noisy test kitchen.