Best Steak for Fajitas
Classic Tex Mex, fajitas (pronounced fah-hee-tas) are typically made with grilled strips of skirt steak with onions and bell peppers and served with fresh tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.
You can make fajitas with steak or chicken, or even make it plain vegetarian. Here's a quick and easy recipe for steak fajitas.
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Skirt Steak for Fajitas
Skirt steak is one of the best steaks to use for fajitas because it takes marinade really well. Because it's thin, it cooks quickly ,and it's easy to cut across the grain—which makes it tender. Flank steak is another cut of meat that works well, too, for the same reasons.
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Steak Fajitas
Be careful not to touch your eyes or anywhere near your eyes after handling a jalapeño pepper!
Ingredients
For the marinade
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Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
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1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded, ribs removed, finely chopped
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1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems
For the fajitas
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1 pound flank steak, skirt steak, or carne asada
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Kosher salt
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1 tablespoon vegetable oil
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1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced lengthwise
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2 to 3 bell peppers of various colors, sliced lengthwise into strips
For serving
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Warm flour tortillas
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Guacamole
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Salsa
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Sour cream
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Shredded cheese
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Shredded lettuce
Method
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Marinate the steak:
Mix all marinade ingredients. Coat the steak with the marinade and let it sit at room temperature for an hour, or longer in the fridge.
Before you cook the meat, wipe off most of the marinade and sprinkle the steak with salt.
Simple Tip!
If you marinate the steak in the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to come to room temperature before cooking.
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Sear the steak on both sides:
Set a large cast iron pan or griddle over high heat and let this heat up for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tablespoon of oil to the pan and let this heat up for 1 minute.
Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. 3 minutes per side will yield approximately medium rare doneness for an average cut of flank steak.
Elise Bauer Elise Bauer Carne asada and skirt steak will need less time. If the pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium-high. You want the steak browned, not burned.
Remove from pan and let sit, tented with foil, for 5 minutes.
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Cook the vegetables:
While the meat is resting, add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then add the onions and bell peppers.
Let these sear for 1 minute before stirring, then stir every 90 seconds or so as the veggies sear. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes total.
Elise Bauer -
Slice the meat:
Slice across the grain into thin slices.
If you slice the meat at an angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin. These cuts of steak are flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices will really help make it easier to eat.
Elise Bauer -
Serve immediately:
Serve the fajitas with shredded cheese, salsa, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, and warm flour tortillas. (Hint for warming tortillas - put in microwave over a paper towel for 20 seconds on high heat.)
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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506 | Calories |
23g | Fat |
37g | Carbs |
37g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 4 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 506 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 23g | 30% |
Saturated Fat 6g | 30% |
Cholesterol 90mg | 30% |
Sodium 451mg | 20% |
Total Carbohydrate 37g | 13% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 12% |
Total Sugars 3g | |
Protein 37g | |
Vitamin C 54mg | 269% |
Calcium 72mg | 6% |
Iron 4mg | 24% |
Potassium 634mg | 13% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |