Carne Asada Tacos With Mango Pinnaple Pico de Gallo and Chimichuri

Carne Asada Tacos

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!

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Carne Asada Tacos
Carne Assada Tacos
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Argentine, Mexican, South American, Tex-Mex
Keyword: Taco, Tacos
Servings: 2 Servings
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. 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.

  2. Place the bag with steak and marinade into the fridge for 3 hours to overnight.

  3. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Cut your steak into 3 inch long pieces. Then slice thinly against the grain.

  7. 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.

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Mango Pineapple Pico de Gallo
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

A fresh salsa that is quick and easy to make.  It is great for brightening up a dish by bringing a pop of acid.

Course: Dip
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. 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. 

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Chimichurri
Chimichurri Sauce
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

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.

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Argentine, Latin, South American
Keyword: Chimichurri
Servings: 2 Cups
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir to combine. 

Chicken Fried Cauliflower Steaks With Chimichurri

Chicken Fried Cauliflower SteakChicken Fried Cauliflower Steaks With Chimichurri

Fried Cauliflower is my go-to side dish at any pizza shop. That being said, I am always disappointed when it is made using a breading instead of a batter.  To take this humble side dish to the next level I used cauliflower steaks to produce a vegetarian riff on chicken fried steak. A cauliflower steak is a 1/2″ vertical cross section taken from the middle of the cauliflower to produce a large flat piece with lots of nooks and crannies. Those nooks and crannies create lots of surface area for the flour dredge and batter to grab on to and become delicious crispy bits. This recipe works well with florets (smaller flower shaped pieces) as well.  If are looking for a side dish, then definitely use florets instead.

ChimichurriChimichurri

Originally, I thought about smothering this dish in a mushroom gravy, which would be traditional for a chicken fried steak. I decided instead to go with Chimichurri to brighten up the dish and give it a pop of color. Chimichurri is a great sauce from Argentina usually served on grilled meat. It pairs the earthy flavors of fresh herbs with the sharp flavors of chili, garlic, onions, and vinegar and is great for taming rich and heavy dishes. I used cilantro in my chimichurri, which is the leaf from the the plant that coriander comes from. Many people have a predisposition to disliking cilantro. If you are in that population, parsley is a great substitute, and if chimichurri is not your thing, then definitely try it with mushroom gravy.

 

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Chicken Fried Cauliflower Steak
Chicken Fried Cauliflower Steak
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
 

This a great take on fried cauliflower and a riff on chicken fried steak.  The second dip into the flour gives this dish on an extra layer of crunch and the seltzer helps keep the batter light. This recipe works just as well for smaller pieces of cauliflower as it does with large steaks.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cauliflower
Servings: 4 people
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 Head Cauliflower The larger the better
  • 4 Cups All-Purpose Flour Divided in half
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2.5 Cups Seltzer
  • 1 tbsp Dried Cayenne Pepper Optional for a little kick
  • 1 tbsp Paprika Smoked if you have it
  • Salt and Pepper To Taste
  • Chimichurri Sauce
  • Vegetable Oil for Frying
Instructions
  1. Add 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to a heavy frying pan or cast iron skillet and place over medium heat. Make sure the heat is not too high otherwise the outside of the cauliflower will burn and the middle will will be tough.

  2. In a bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir to combine.

  3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with 2 cups of the seltzer. The add the other two cups of flour and the dried cayenne pepper and stir to create a batter.  It should be thin. If it seems thick, add the other 1/2 cup of the seltzer.

  4. Vertically slice four 1/2" pieces from the middle of the cauliflower. Dust each piece in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess, then dip the cauliflower in the batter and let any excess drip away for a few seconds, and finally dip back in the flour one more time.

  5. Carefully add the cauliflower steaks to the pan, being careful not to splash the hot oil.  Make sure not to crowd the pan, so work in batches. If your pieces are large, do one at time.  Fry on each side until golden brown and delicious.

  6. Plate, drizzle on chimichurri, and serve immediately.

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Chimichurri
Chimichurri Sauce
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

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.

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Argentine, Latin, South American
Keyword: Chimichurri
Servings: 2 Cups
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 cup Cilantro or Parsley Chopped finely
  • 4 cloves Garlic Chopped finely
  • 1 medium Red Onion Chopped finely
  • 1 medium Fresh Red Chili Chopped finely
  • 3/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Kosher Salt To taste
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and stir to combine.