Jun 17, 2010
Makes 4 servings
This recipe makes use of the
flank steak, one of the tougher and leaner cuts of beef, but also
by far the most flavorful. The trick to great flank steak is to
make sure you don’t overcook it, let it rest before carving it, and
cut thin slices across the grain. This recipe contrasts a spicy
marinade with a fruit salsa. The fajitas go well with cold Mexican
beer or a light red wine.
To marinate the steak:
1/2 tsp | 2 mL kosher salt
1/4 cup | 50 mL lime juice
2 tsp | 10 mL vegetable oil
1 Tbsp | 15 mL ground cumin
1 Tbsp | 15 mL powdered ancho or
New Mexico chili powder
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
ground black pepper to taste
1 large flank or skirt steak
(about 11/2 to 2 lb | 750 g to 1 kg)
For the mango strawberry salsa:
2 fresh ripe (but not too ripe) mangoes,
peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
1/2 cup | 125 mL ripe but firm strawberries,
stems removed and roughly chopped
1 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped
dash or two of Louisiana–style hot sauce
1/2 tsp | 2 mL kosher salt
1/2 tsp | 2 mL sugar
2 Tbsp | 25 mL fresh lime juice
freshly ground pepper to taste
To make the fajitas:
12 flour tortillas, wrapped in foil and
warmed in a 250˚F | 120˚C oven
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Blend the salt, lime juice, oil, cumin, chile powder, garlic, chipotles, and pepper in a food processor until you have a fairly smooth paste. Place the steak in a nonreactive baking dish and spoon on the marinade, thoroughly coating the steak on both sides. Cover the steak with plastic wrap and refrigerate it 6 hours or overnight, turning it once or twice.
Half an hour before cooking the steak, combine the salsa ingredients and lightly toss them in a bowl. Season the salsa to taste, cover it, and put it in the refrigerator.
Prepare your grill for direct high heat. Place the flank steak on the grill. Flip it after 3 minutes and spoon 1 or 2 Tbsp | 15 or 25 mL of the marinade on top. Cook it for 3 more minutes and flip it again. Grill it for 1 more minute for rare; add a minute or two per side for medium rare. Set the steak on a chopping board, tent it with foil, and let it rest for at least 5 minutes.
Thinly slice the flank steak across the grain, creating juicy strips of meat, and place it in a warmed serving dish. Put out the salsa, cilantro, and warmed tortillas. People can now serve themselves, placing a couple of slices of meat, then a dollop of salsa, then a sprinkling of cilantro on a tortilla, folding it up, and wolfing it down.