Steak Fajitas Recipe

Steak Fajitas Recipe – Steak fajitas make a quick and easy meal perfect for weeknight suppers or weekend celebrations! Made with beef, peppers, onions and served with a stack of warm tortillas and condiments. They are always a favorite! 

How to Make Steak Fajitas

You can do with the regular red and green peppers if you’d like, but I love the color and the flavor that yellow and orange peppers add to this recipe. I’m one of those people that eat with my eyes first. I also like to add in a BIG poblano pepper. Remove all the ribs and seeds, so the spice is gone. We just want the nice smokiness of the poblano sizzled with the onions and bell peppers — the flavor is out of this world. I can’t believe I had been making fajitas without poblanos for so long before this. I almost feel like I cheated myself out of the best fajitas.

Without any further suspense let me share with you the ONE ingredient that makes my steak fajitas better than the rest — PINEAPPLE JUICE. Um, yup. You read that right. Pineapple juice, the stuff that comes in a small/large cans in the juice aisle. I use the stuff that is 100% juice with no additional sugars added.

If you’re wondering what the function of pineapple juice is for fajitas, allow me to explain. Store-bought fajita seasonings usually contain enzymes that help tenderize the meat. So to mimic that same tenderization without any weird ingredients, we use pineapple juice. There are people that argue that fresh pineapple juice (that hasn’t been heated) works best. But honestly, for our recipe, canned pineapple juice works just fine! No need to grab a fresh pineapple and make fresh juice, unless you’d like to that is.

The other ingredients are simple! A little lime juice, some Worcestershire sauce (this is Tex-Mex style fajitas after all!), garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, a little olive oil, chopped cilantro, and a little salt and pepper. That is it! No cornstarch or sugar or a million other ingredients. These are simple, flavorful steak fajitas that shine on their own. You don’t need to put a million ingredients in them to taste good.

How to make the best steak fajitas

combine the ingredients for the marinade and let marinate. It’s that simple. I like to let fajita meat marinate for at least 4 hours and ideally sometimes, overnight. The longer you let them sit, the tastier they are.

Ingredients

Steak Marinade:

• ⅓ cup lime juice
•  ¼ cup pineapple juice (no sugar added)
•  2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
•  3 tablespoons olive oil
•  1 tablespoon minced garlic
•  2 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin AND chili powder (or more to taste)
•  1 teaspoon EACH: kosher salt AND smoked paprika
•  ½ teaspoon EACH: black pepper AND red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
•  ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Fajitas:

•  1 ½ – 2 pounds skirt or flank steak
•  1 tablespoon oil (high heat)
•  2 medium white onions, sliced
•  1 large poblano, ribs and seeds removed then sliced
•  2-3 bell peppers, thinly sliced (any color you please!)

Optional:

guacamole, salsa, cilantro leaves, salsa verde, sour cream, black beans, rice, tortillas, cilantro-lime rice, sautéed corn, tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheese, etc.

Instructions

STEAK MARINADE:

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a large shallow bowl or zip-top bag. Give it a taste to check for seasonings and adjust to preference. Coat the steak with the marinade and let sit covered in the refrigerator for at least 2-4 hours and ideally overnight (or see notes to freeze.) Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling.

COOK:

Set a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over high heat and let heat up for a couple of minutes. Add the steak to the pan and fry on each side for about 3-5 minutes or longer if you’d like it more done. Feel for desired firmness. The 3 minutes/side will yield a medium rare doneness. If the pan becomes too hot, reduce the heat to medium-high. Remove the steak from the pan and allow it to rest for several minutes, tented with a piece of foil.

FAJITA VEGGIES:

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan over high heat, and add in the onions, poblano, and bell peppers. Let the veggies begin to sizzle and toss as necessary, cook for a total of 2-3 minutes or longer if you prefer them softer, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. If your pan is small, cook the veggies in a few batches so they don’t steam.

SLICE:

Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. I like to do so on an angle so the meat slices are tender and thin. Add it back to the veggies if you’d like.

ASSEMBLY:

Serve fajitas in tortillas or on rice bowls topped with your favorite toppings!

Notes

Freeze: If you aren’t planning on making the fajitas right away, marinate the meat in a zip-top bag and freeze immediately. Let the steak defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and you’re ready to grill!