Steak Fajitas Recipe (2024)

By Martha Rose Shulman

Steak Fajitas Recipe (1)

Total Time
1 hour, plus 4 hours' marinating
Rating
5(1,967)
Notes
Read community notes

Skirt steak is the traditional cut used for fajitas. It used to be inexpensive, but now it's not so cheap; oftentimes flank steak costs less. Either will be a good choice.

Featured in: Give Fajitas, a Tex-Mex Classic, the Treatment They Deserve

Learn: How to Make Steak

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have

    10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers.

    Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Print Options

    Include recipe photo

Advertisem*nt

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
  • 1teaspoon chipotle or ancho chile powder
  • 1teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • pounds flank or skirt steak
  • Zest of 1 lime (2 teaspoons)
  • ¼cup fresh lime juice
  • ¼cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 4large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1large red or yellow onion, halved and sliced
  • 2red bell peppers (or 1 red and 1 orange or yellow), seeded and sliced ¼ inch thick
  • 1green bell pepper, seeded and sliced ¼ inch thick
  • 1jalapeño or 2 serrano chiles, minced
  • ¼cup chopped cilantro
  • 4large flour or 8 corn tortillas
  • 1teaspoon grapeseed or canola oil
  • 1romaine heart, cut crosswise into 1-inch wide pieces
  • Salsa fresca, for serving (see recipe)
  • Queso fresco, for sprinkling

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

595 calories; 41 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 1005 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Steak Fajitas Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Combine 2 teaspoons ground cumin, the chile powder and 1 teaspoon salt. With a sharp knife, cut shallow crosshatched incisions across top and bottom surfaces of steak. Rub spice mix all over surface of steak. (It's best to wear gloves as the chile powder is hot.) Place steak in a resealable freezer bag.

  2. Step

    2

    In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice and zest, ¼ cup olive oil, the Worcestershire sauce and half the garlic. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade and pour the rest into the bag with steak. Seal and move steak around in bag to coat thoroughly. Place on a sheet pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. Massage bag periodically to redistribute marinade. Refrigerate reserved marinade if cooking the next day.

  3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until they soften and begin to color, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in bell peppers and chile. Cook, stirring, until peppers begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

  4. Step

    4

    Lower heat to medium, add remaining garlic and cumin, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until peppers are nicely seared, softened and beginning to caramelize, 5 to 8 minutes.

  5. Step

    5

    Pour in reserved 2 tablespoons marinade and scrape bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Stir in half the cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat but keep warm.

  6. Step

    6

    Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in a low oven, or wrap in a towel and warm in a steamer or in the microwave.

  7. Step

    7

    Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, or prepare a medium-hot grill. Remove meat from marinade and discard marinade. Pat meat dry with paper towels. If using a skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet. (If your skillet is not large enough for the steak, cut it in half and cook in batches.) Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Meat should be medium rare. Remove to a cutting board, cover with foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut across the grain into ½- to ¾-inch wide strips.

  8. Step

    8

    Arrange lettuce on a platter, then place steak next to lettuce. Tip juices from cutting board over meat and sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Serve vegetables on the same platter or separately, along with warm tortillas, salsa and crumbled queso fresco.

Ratings

5

out of 5

1,967

user ratings

Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Islander13

I would not cook the onions and peppers before cooking the meat. That seems very strange to me; you want them piping hot. Cook them while the steak is resting.

Always learning

Easier - char poblano peppers, bag, peel, seed & slice. Seed & julienne an equal amount of sweet mini red & orange peppers. Slice red onion. Saute together in avocado oil and season with Penzey's fajita seasoning. When tender, add thinly sliced left-over grilled rib eye steak just to warm. Serve on warmed tortilla & top with 5/4/2016 NYTimes Cooking's excellent arugula, avocado, cilantro salad with garlic, lime & olive oil vinaigrette (sans rotisserie chicken).

Charli

My dad owned a restaurant in the Valley in the 70's - we served fajitas as Tacos la Carbon - I substituted a tablespoon of pineapple juice to the marinade instead of the Worcestershire sauce (the citrus really brightens the flavor), and I also withheld the cilantro as a garnish. In my experience, cooking cilantro will make it a little bitter.

Samantha

Instead of cooking the onions and peppers first in a separate pan, I seared the steak first in a cast iron, put it on a cutting board to rest, then cooked the pepper and onion mix in that same cast iron. The vegetables absorbed all of the flavor from the meat and marinade and it ended up being a one-pan meal. Really tasty!

LiveToFish

Great recipe. Highly recommend lightly toasting the cumin and the ancho/chipotle chiles. Then grinding them using a molcajete or a mortar.

Also, mix up the chiles. Go all ancho or all chipotle or mix them up. Every variation is awesome.

Amy R

Being from Texas, I'm pretty picky about my fajitas, and these passed the test! I love that I didn't have to use a grill. The only change I made to save time is that I used cumin powder and chili powder from my cabinet for the first two ingredients. It still tasted wonderful!

Doug K.

Lettuce is not a ingredient in fajitas! Maybe tacos, but not fajitas! And you must have pico de gallo, guacamole, and crema as sides.

Charlie

Not a bad foundation, but way too bland. Needs more garlic, more salt, more cumin, maybe some black pepper. And lime wedges for garnish.

Robert in Flyover Country

Substituted New York strip steak for the flank/skirt steak (little less expensive), and sheep's milk feta in place of the queso fresco (most likely made from cow's milk). Allowed the meat to marinate for 24 hours, which increased its flavor and tenderness. Cooked the meat in a large cast iron skillet, and finished it off under the broiler. Wonderful meal! Will make this again.

Mike Michaud

This is quite good. Made it just about as is. Works with chicken as well!

Roberta

These fajitas were amazing! I found that the times given to cook onions and peppers for my family's preference were a bit low. As fresh corn is plentiful at the moment I added kernels cut from two ears to the vegetables. And though we have never had corn on fajitas before everyone decided it was a delicious addition. I made homemade tortillas for the first time and these fajitas were definitely worthy of that extra effort!

BLC

I followed most of the recipe, but changed the rub ratio to 2 parts cumin, 2 parts chipotle, 1 part ancho, 1 part salt. Made some extra rub for seasoning the vegetables, instead of using just cumin and salt. Cooked the steak first then the veg, in the same pan, while the steak rested. Served it with last summer's roasted tomato and chile salsa and with Sam Sifton's Burned Scallion Crema. Pretty delicious. The meat was incredibly tender and juicy. We'll definitely be having these again.

philip zaranka

Really great recipe packed with flavor. I only Marinated for about an hour and it was still amazing. I grilled the steak with charcoal and it really came out nicely. Excellent recipe

Ryan

Delicious! And great even if you only have a short marinade window.

Ellen

Lots of steps, but worth the effort. The best rub/marinade I've ever used on flank steak.

Lori

Made this on our Blackstone, turned out great.I marinated the meat over night and added sliced mushrooms to the vegetables.

Josy

Changed the marinade with 1tsp of cumin and 1tsp of chili pepper. After tasting the marinade I Added 1 tbs of brown sugar. Turned out delicious.

Stacey

These are SO GOOD. We sadly couldn’t find our cumin seeds so we used powdered just 1to1. Best fajitas I’ve ever made.

Ella Gant

SUCH a great recipe!!! Easy and delicious. Agree with the comment about making the effort to toast and grind cumin seeds instead of using powdered. What a flavor explosion! We left the cilantro out completely (we hate it) and it was nevertheless complex in flavor and utterly delectable. Thank you for this wonderful marinade and recipe.

Bbrown

Used the marinade recipe to marinate steak tips for about an hour. Grilled for 10-15 mins. Served over rice.

Emily

A Texan approves of this recipe!! Tremendous flavor, I will have my butcher tenderize the meat and it always turns out fabulous. Highly recommend.

Charley

Best fajitas u ever made. Better than restaurant quality.

cindyr

I did not have every ingredient on this list but it was delish anyway. I followed others instructions to cook the meat first and and then do the veggie. Also - my little hint... My flank steak was still partially frozen so i cut it in to strips first, finished thawing and then followed the recipe. Meat slices much easier that way.

QUAASAM

Very nice. Served with all the trimmings.

Chris

This is a great recipe. I use La Masienda masa and made the tortillas. My main deviation was to use Penzey’s fajita mix.

me

Made it with regular chili powder and omitted jaleps for estes

kniterati

This was wonderful. I used a flat iron steak because that was I could get this week. No need to change a thing. Everyone enjoyed them.

Sharon

This is a showstopper. Brought this camping and everyone said the fajitas were the best they’ve had.

Jeff

These are INCREDIBLE! I have made several times and follow the recipe to the T. Just delicious. I have only made with outside skirt steak. Once, I ran out of Worcestershire sauce and used low sodium soy sauce. Also delicious. This is a go-to in our house when making fajitas or a juicy skirt steak with fries!

Chris

I pretty much followed the recipe except i sliced the meat before marinading the meat. It came out great. I also made the tortilllas using Mark Bitman’s Almost-From-Scratch Corn Tortillas which is the best recipe I have every used as it uses 2 tbs lard to the batch and the tortilla is perusable and rollable after cooking.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Steak Fajitas Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook fajita meat so it's tender? ›

Tricks to Tender Fajita Meat
  1. Cut the Beef Against the Grain. Slicing meat against the grain helps tenderize it. By looking closely at the steak, you'll be able to see the direction the grain is running. ...
  2. Marinade with an Acid. Acids like citrus juice or vinegar tenderize meat by breaking down its fibers.
Feb 2, 2024

What is the best steak to use for fajitas? ›

Skirt steak is the traditional cut used for fajitas. It used to be inexpensive, but now it's not so cheap; oftentimes flank steak costs less. Either will be a good choice.

What is fajita marinade made of? ›

How to Marinate Fajitas - the Recipe Method. Whisk the Fajita Marinade Ingredients. Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl until consistent - olive oil, lime juice, water, minced garlic, paprika, ancho powder, cayenne, onion powder, oregano, brown sugar, cumin, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes.

Do you cut skirt steak before or after cooking fajitas? ›

Fajita meat is marinated and grilled before it is cut into strips and served. The best way to get a tender slice of meat is to cut perpendicular to (across) the grain of the meat.

What cut of meat do Mexican restaurants use for fajitas? ›

The question of “what is a fajita” would usually be referred to as sliced skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers and toppings that are served on the side.

Can I substitute taco seasoning for fajita seasoning? ›

Fajita seasoning and taco seasoning are very similar, but they are not the same. Taco seasoning typically has more oregano and chili powder than fajita seasoning. With that being said, however, you can use fajita seasoning and taco seasoning interchangeably in recipes, it may just warrant a slightly different flavor.

What onion is best for steak fajitas? ›

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to choosing the right onion for your fajitas. You can go for the traditional white or yellow onions, offering a more savory option, or experiment with sweet onions like Vidalia or Walla Walla to add a subtle sweetness to your dish.

What cut of steak do Mexicans use? ›

The short loin is often considered one of the most tender Mexican beef cuts. It's found on the front part of the loin primal cut and features numerous varieties that are also some of the most desirable parts of the animal. These include tenderloin, strip loin, porterhouse, and T-bone steaks.

Can you use McCormick fajita seasoning as a marinade? ›

McCormick Culinary Fajita Marinade & Seasoning Mix's uniform texture is perfect for marinating protein and infusing signature flavor before grilling, broiling or roasting.

What is fajita sauce made of? ›

Place ranch dressing mix, mayo, milk, lime juice, garlic, and green salsa in a blender. Blend the sauce until smooth. Add the cilantro and continue to blend until smooth. Place in refrigerator for several hours to allow it to thicken and the flavors to come together.

What is the key ingredient in marinade? ›

A typical marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid (such as vinegar, wine, or citrus), an oil (such as olive oil or sesame oil), and a flavouring agent (such as herbs and spices).

How many people does 1 pound of fajita feed? ›

I like to always say it's about one pound per three people...but let's be honest, I can almost eat a whole pound by myself lol. I would say you could be safe with three pounds.

How do I make sure my skirt steak is tender? ›

Cook it fast with high heat, instead of low heat for slow cooking. Slicing the meat thinly across grain will provide enough tenderization, especially if you don't overcook your skirt steak to make it tough and dry.

Which way do you cut onions for fajitas? ›

Halve the onion and lay it flat on the cutting board. Make vertical cuts from one end to the other without cutting all the way through the root end. Then, make horizontal cuts across the onion. Finally, slice across the cuts you made to create diced onions for your fajitas.

Do you wash fajita meat before cooking? ›

Just no. Do not rinse your raw beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, or veal before cooking it, says the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. In fact, though you might (understandably) rinse meat to clean it, doing so can lead to the opposite-of-desired effect.

Do you cook fajitas on high heat? ›

The key to really good, flavorful fajitas is searing the meat and vegetables over high heat so they get a smoky, charred flavor. That said, be certain to not overcrowd the pan so the ingredients sear vs steam. Work in batches and make sure the oil is smoking hot before searing each batch of chicken and vegetables.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Aron Pacocha

Last Updated:

Views: 5935

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Aron Pacocha

Birthday: 1999-08-12

Address: 3808 Moen Corner, Gorczanyport, FL 67364-2074

Phone: +393457723392

Job: Retail Consultant

Hobby: Jewelry making, Cooking, Gaming, Reading, Juggling, Cabaret, Origami

Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.