Steak Fajitas

Not that long ago, I posted my take on American-Style tacos, which you can find here.  Now it’s time for some fajitas.

What’s the difference between a taco and a fajita?

First some similarities – both are sort of like a sandwich.  You place your meat and/or fillings in a carb, i.e.  a tortilla, and then eat it with your hands.

With tacos, the filling usually consists of raw vegetables while fajitas are made with grilled vegetables.  In my American Style taco recipe, I used ground beef, but you can also use grilled meat, seafood or chicken for tacos, as well.  In addition to a protein, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and other raw vegetables are often used as toppings.

Interestingly, and according to Chowhound, fajitas are the actual filling in the tortilla.  The meat, traditionally steak, is marinated and then grilled.  Vegetables (which are also grilled) are added, and everything is cut into strips to fit nicely inside the tortilla.

Despite it’s simple sounding definition, fajitas (like anything, really) can be made very complicated.

I like to keep things simple, though, and leave the fanfare to the restaurant chefs.

Instead of using a fancy marinade with tons of ingredients, I simply pour a jar of salsa into a Ziploc bag and add the flank steak.  When I am ready to grill the meat, I take it out of the bag, pat it dry with paper towels and cover it with a dry rub of seasonings before grilling.

I toss oil and vinegar with the vegetables to let them marinate for a minute before throwing them on the grill for a nice char.

After the meat and vegetables are cooked and the meat rests, I slice it and squeeze fresh lime juice over everything for a nice citrus-y flavor.

Here’s the recipe…

Steak Fajitas

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Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 2 pounds flank or skirt steak
• 1 15.5 ounce jar salsa
• 1 Medium red onion sliced
• 1 Green bell pepper sliced
• 1 Red bell pepper sliced
• 1 Orange bell pepper sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Seasoning/dry rub for fajitas
• Juice of 1 lime
• Small soft flour tortillas for serving

Instructions

 

• Place steak and salsa in plastic Ziploc bag and allow to marinate in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
• Approximately 30 minutes before cooking, remove steak from marinade and pat dry with paper towels.
• Heat grill and place grill pain on grill to heat for the vegetables.
• In a medium size bowl, toss onion and bell peppers in oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add dry rub to steak. Shake off excess.
• Grill flank steak 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare.
• Meanwhile, pour vegetables in grill pan and cook for approximately 10 minutes, turning every four or so minutes to get a good char.
• After removing the steak from the grill, let rest for at least 5 minutes. Then slice against the grain
• Stuff tortillas with steak, vegetables and desired toppings, including any combination of the following: sour cream, cheese, guacamole, salsa.