Easy Steak Fajitas Recipe – A One Skillet Recipe

When you think of eating at your favorite Mexican restaurant, it would be hard not to picture a skillet of Steak Fajitas sizzling across the dining room. Whether you ordered them or not, you will not only hear the iconic sizzle of the cast iron skillet, but you will also see the steam traveling across the room.

Not to mention that classic aroma that fills the room. If you haven’t ordered your dinner yet, you might quickly change your mind so that you can enjoy them as well.

However, fajitas can be one of the more expensive items on the menu. Fortunately, you can make them right in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost, and without sacrificing the flavor.

Best Steak For Fajitas

Although, in order to have restaurant quality fajitas, you must first pick out the best steak. The traditional cut of beef used for making fajitas is skirt steak.

Skirt steak comes from the diaphragm muscles of the cow. It has a coarse texture and is known for its rich beefy flavor.

When properly marinated and cooked, skirt steak becomes tender and delicious, making it a popular choice for fajitas. However, the cost of skirt steak has increased considerably over the last few years.

Fortunately you have a couple of other options. Flank steak or sirloin steak can also be used for making fajitas. I most often use flank steak as it is more economical and when marinated it becomes nice and tender when cooked.

Homemade Fajita Marinade

In addition to picking out the correct steak, when it comes to making the best fajitas, the marinade is just as important. Not only does it provide the meat and veggies with that traditional fajita flavor, it also is used to help tenderize the meat.

However, rather than purchasing a bottle of marinade, use a few basic ingredients from your own kitchen to make a delicious homemade marinade. I have listed the ingredients that you will need below.

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Lime juice
• Chili powder
• Ground cumin
• Smoked paprika
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• Cayenne pepper (optional)

Simply combine the ingredients and then divide the steak fajitas marinade into 3 equal portions. One of the portions will be used to marinate the steak.

Another portion is to add flavor to the sliced peppers and onions. And the remaining marinade is used as a sauce during the cooking process.

The Keys To Making Steak Fajitas

Don’t Skip The Marinade: The acid in the marinade will tenderize meat by breaking down its fibers. Even 30 minutes of marinade time makes a difference, but it is best to marinate the meat for at least 4 hours.

Marinate The Vegetables: Yes, even the vegetables need to soak in the marinade. This will provide them with a base of flavor before cooking. Then when the marinade is added to the skillet as they cook, they will absorb even more flavor.

Don’t Marinate Too Long: Although it is best to let the meat sit in the marinade for several hours, if you let it sit too long the texture of meat will break down too much. Be sure to use the marinated meat within 24 hours for best results.

Cut the Beef Against the Grain. Slicing meat against the grain is crucial. This will ensure that the meat is not tough and chewy. Look closely at the steak and you’ll be able to see the direction the grain is running. Make your cuts in the opposite direction, just like you do when making Chicken Fajitas.

How To Serve Sizzling Fajitas

If you are wondering how the restaurant gets such a hot sizzling skillet out to the tables, it is actually easier than you think. Below I have listed the process of serving steak fajitas in the restaurant.

1. Heat A Skillet: When an order for fajitas is placed, the kitchen staff heat a cast iron skillet until it’s smoking hot. The skillet is then lightly coated with a high heat oil.

2. Cooking: The marinated meat and vegetables are quickly cooked on the hot skillet. The sizzling sound starts as soon as they hit the pan due to the high heat.

3. Presentation: Once cooked, the sizzling skillet of fajitas is placed on a wooden board and is brought to the table. It’s still sizzling and steaming, creating that eye catching presentation.

4. Serving: Most often the fajitas are served with foil wrapped, warm corn or flour tortillas, along with sides such as rice, beans, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

Although this is an easy process in a commercial kitchen, most home cooks don’t have the ventilation to safely cook at such a high heat to create the dramatic sizzle effect. However, your fajitas will still taste just as good, if not even better!

Easy Steak Fajitas Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds skirt, flank, or sirloin steak, sliced into 1/2 inch strips across the grain
• 1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 green pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 1 medium red onion, sliced into thin strips
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• pinch cayenne pepper

For Serving:

• Small fajita size corn or flour tortillas
• Toppings of your choice: sour cream, guacamole, salsa, cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, add olive oil, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, black and cayenne pepper and whisk together until well incorporated.

Place the steak into a sealable bag and pour 1/3 of the marinade in with the steak. In another sealable bag add the peppers and onions and pour 1/3 of the marinade into the vegetable bag.

Place both bags in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but ideally for 4-6 hours.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour the vegetables into the skillet and cook until slightly tender, approximately 5 minutes.

Then transfer vegetables to a plate and add steak strips to the same skillet. Cook the steak until almost done and then add vegetables back to the skillet.

Pour the remaining marinade in the skillet and heat through. Serve with warm tortillas and toppings of your choice.

Enjoy! Mary

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