There’s something sacred about a crunchy taco — a tortilla filled, sealed with a toothpick, shaped into a paper-thin hard shell or rolled with intent, then fried until the edges turn deep amber and the aroma becomes irresistible.

What it’s called varies by region and style: fried tacos, taquitos, flautas (longer, thinner, often plated with crema and a salsa trio), the oft-maligned “hard shell” taco built on a prefabricated U. In Mexico, they typically all fall under the category of tacos dorados.

For a lot of us, crunchy tacos feel sacrosanct because they are the taco our parents and grandparents made most at home for taco night. A perfect taco dorado bite can evoke a Proustian flashback to a loud family dinner table where everyone finally quiets down and all you hear is a Mexican ballad

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