Carne asada tacos
Skirt steak rubbed with lime, garlic and cumin, seared hard and sliced thin, piled into warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro and salsa verde.
- Prep
- 6 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 2
- Per serve
- 640 kcal
Ingredients
Method
Set a large cast-iron or heavy skillet over high heat to get very hot. While it heats, cut the steak into pieces that fit the pan, pat dry with paper towels, then mix the lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and oil in a shallow dish and rub it all over the steak.
Lay the steak in the hot pan and leave it alone until deeply browned underneath, then flip and cook the other side. For 1/2-inch skirt steak that's about 3 minutes per side for medium (145°F); thicker flank needs 4 minutes per side. While it cooks, dice the onion, chop the cilantro and cut the lime into wedges.
Move the steak to a cutting board to rest while you warm the tortillas in the same pan, two at a time, about 30 seconds per side until soft and lightly spotted. Wrap them in a clean kitchen towel as they come out.
Slice the steak thinly against the grain (look for the lines running along the meat and cut across them), then chop into bite-size pieces.
Fill the tortillas with steak, then top with onion, cilantro and a spoonful of salsa verde. Serve with lime wedges.
Tips
- Slicing against the grain is what keeps skirt steak tender. Skirt grain runs across the short width, so cut the strip into chunks first, then turn each chunk and slice.
- Double up the tortillas, taqueria style, if they're thin and tearing.
- Corn tortillas, chili powder and salsa verde are usually gluten-free, but some brands add wheat, so check all three labels.
