Fajitas

Classic Tex-Mex Beef Fajitas

A sizzling platter of marinated skirt steak, charred peppers, and onions, served with warm tortillas and the usual fixings. This is the Tex-Mex restaurant classic, made at home on a cast-iron pan.

Prep

30 min

Cook

15 min

Total

45 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •680 g (1½ lb) skirt steak, outside skirt preferred; flap or hanger steak are fine substitutes
• •60 ml (¼ cup) fresh lime juice, from about 3 limes
• •120 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
• •4 cloves garlic, minced
• •10 g (1 Tbsp) ground cumin
• •10 g (1 Tbsp) smoked paprika, Spanish-style smoked (pimentón)
• •6 g (2 tsp) kosher salt
• •3 g black pepper
• •15 g (1 Tbsp) soy sauce, helps tenderize and add color
• •15 g (1 Tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
• •1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced, optional
• •2 g (½ tsp) dried Mexican oregano, or marjoram
• •2 whole bell peppers, one green, one red, sliced 1 cm / ½ in strips
• •1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1 cm / ½ in strips
• •12 g (1 Tbsp) lard or vegetable oil, for the pan
• •8 whole flour tortillas, about 15 cm / 6 in; corn tortillas also work
• •1 to serve guacamole, salsa, sour cream, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, table fixings

Steps

1. 1 Slice the skirt steak across the grain into 1 cm (½ in) wide strips. Cutting against the grain is essential — skirt's long fibers make even cooking and tender bites impossible otherwise.
2. 2 Whisk together the lime juice, vegetable oil, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, Worcestershire, jalapeño, and oregano in a non-reactive bowl.
3. 3 Add the steak strips to the marinade, toss to coat, and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 4 hours. Skirt steak should not be marinated much longer than 4 hours — the acid will make the surface mushy.
4. 4 About 20 minutes before cooking, remove the steak from the fridge to take the chill off. Pat the strips dry with paper towels; surface moisture prevents a proper sear.
5. 5 Heat a large cast-iron skillet or comal over high heat until it is just smoking. Add the lard or oil and swirl to coat.
6. 6 Sear the steak in a single layer in batches, leaving each piece undisturbed for 60–90 seconds per side to get deep color. Total cooking time is 2–3 minutes per batch for medium-rare skirt steak.
7. 7 Doneness cue: skirt is best at medium-rare, internal temperature 52–55°C / 125–130°F. Past medium (60°C / 140°F) it turns tough. Stack the cooked strips on a plate and tent loosely with foil while you cook the vegetables.
8. 8 Add the sliced peppers and onion to the same pan with another splash of oil if needed. Cook over high heat, stirring only every minute or so, until charred in spots but still crisp, 6–8 minutes total. Season lightly with salt.
9. 9 Return the steak (and any collected juices) to the pan, toss once with the vegetables for about 30 seconds, and slide everything onto a hot platter or straight into a sizzling cast-iron fajita pan if you have one.
10. 10 Warm the tortillas directly over a gas flame for 10–15 seconds per side, or stack and microwave between damp towels for 40 seconds. They should be pliable and steaming.
11. 11 Serve immediately: the steak and vegetables on the hot platter, warm tortillas in a cloth-lined basket, and small bowls of guacamole, salsa, sour cream, lime wedges, and cilantro on the table so everyone builds their own.