I love skirt steak, but the price has gotten out of hand in the past few years. That is why I was very excited other day when I came across some skirt steak on sale at the grocery store. Carne asada is a term that translates to “grilled meat” in Spanish, and is a marinated meat dish that is often made with skirt steak. Carne asada makes a great taco filling, and I love tacos.
Of course you can’t just have meat in your tacos, you need toppings. Chimichurri is an herb based sauce that originates from Argentina that goes great with steak. It adds earthiness and a touch of heat to cut the richness of the beef. It is super easy to make, you just finely chop the ingredients and mix. No cooking necessary. I made it even easier, using the mini food processor attachment that came with my immersion blender.
I also wanted something fresh and bright with a touch of sweetness in my tacos. Pineapples and mangos just happened to be a good price at the produce store, so I decided to use them to make a pico de gallo. Pico de gallo is a fresh salsa, that is way better than anything you get from the grocery store in a jar. Again, super easy, just chop and mix! No cooking necessary!
- Juice of 1 Orange
- Juice of 1 Grapefruit
- 5 Cloves Garlic Roughly Chopped
- 1 Small Onion Roughly Chopped
- 1 Handfull Cilantro Roughly Chopped
- 1 lb Skirt Steak
- 12 Small Corn Torillas Street style size
- Chimichuri See recipe below
- Pineapple Mango Pico de Gallo See recipe below
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Combine the orange juice, grapefruit juice, garic, onion, and cilantro in a large ziplock bag. Cut the steak in manageable pieces and add to the bag.
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Place the bag with steak and marinade into the fridge for 3 hours to overnight.
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Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.
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Fire up your grill or place a cast iron skillet on the stove over high heat. Cook the steaks on each side until you get a good sear. Do not cook skirt steak past medium or it will be tough.
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Let yout steak rest for 5 minutes. While the steak rests lightly grill or broil your torillias, until they just start to get some color.
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Cut your steak into 3 inch long pieces. Then slice thinly against the grain.
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Construct your tacos with two tortillas each so they don't fall apart. Add your meat and top with the pico and chimichuri. Serve immediately.
A fresh salsa that is quick and easy to make. It is great for brightening up a dish by bringing a pop of acid.
- 1 Mango Diced
- 1/4 Pineapple Diced
- 3 Plum Tomatoes Diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper Diced
- 1 Small Red Onion Diced
- 1 Cup Fresh Chopped Cilantro Substitute with parsley if you don't like cilantro
- 1 Jalapeno Diced, optional
- 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
- Salt and Pepper To taste
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Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Let chill in the refrigerator for an hour for the flavors to come together before serving.
Chimichurri is a great sauce from Argentina usually served on grilled meat. It consists of earthy flavors of herbs combined with sharp flavors of chili, garlic, onions, and vinegar and is great for taming rich and heavy dishes.
- 1 cup Cilantro or Parsley Chopped finely
- 5 cloves Garlic Chopped finely
- 1 Scallion Chopped finely
- 1 Tbsp Red Chili Flakes
- 3/4 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- Kosher Salt To taste
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Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir to combine.