Skirt steak fajitas are one of my favorite things to make. I lived in San Antonio when I was younger and got spoiled with good Tex Mex at a young age.
While many people will make their fajitas with flank steak, Texans know that a fajita is only a fajita when made with skirt steak. In fact, the word “fajita” is a derivation of the Spanish word “faja” which translates to “belt” or “girdle” in English.
Sauté your peppers in a skillet while the skirt steak grills on direct heat.
Where does Skirt Steak come from on the cow?
This graphic, originally from my cookbook, shows where Skirt Steak comes from on a cow.
A skirt steak comes from the lower central area of the cow, specifically from the plate to rib area. Skirt steak is ideal for hot and fast grilling and benefits from smoke flavor cooked over charcoal. This cut of meat is great paired with this citrus- chili marinade that tenderizes while adding flavor and zest!
As a girl who spends copious amounts of time at the grocery store, I'm ecstatic to have found a place where I can order prime cuts of meat online. I like to order my meats from Snake River Farms because life is too short to eat bad quality meat. Snake River Farms offers American Wagyu which has amazing marbling in their meat! Remember- fat equals Flavor! I recommend either the skirt steak or flank steak (less $$) from Snake River Farms if you want to take this recipe to the next level.
Lime zest takes every marinade to the next level. I put it in everything!!
Enjoy these fajitas with your favorite toppings and a large margarita (try out my Perfect Skinny Margarita recipe!) to feel like a true Texan, even if you live elsewhere. If you haven't heard, I recently launched a Craft BBQ Rub that is excellent on all proteins and even as a cocktail rimmer! Use code Sunshine for 5% off if you want to give it a try. If you order two I'll throw in a copy of my newly launched magazine!
Skirt steak is best cooked rare in my opinion, be careful to not overcook! Don't let this meat go above 130 degrees internal temperature or it will be tough. To determine what temperature your meat is at, I recommend using an internal read thermometer, such as Thermapen.
Chili Lime Skirt Steak Fajitas
- Yield: serves 2-3 people 1x
Description
Go ahead and bookmark this Chile Lime marinade because while it is great on skirt steak, it is also equally amazing on all proteins for making fajitas. This simple marinade only requires a few ingredients: cilantro, lime, chipotle peppers in adobo, and garlic for a marinade that adds a ton of flavor to beef or any protein you marinate it in.
Ingredients
- 1.5–2 lbs skirt steak
- 1 onion, sliced in thin strips
- 2 large bell peppers, red/green/yellow or orange- sliced in strips
- 8 tortillas
Marinade Ingredients:
- the juice of 2 limes
- the zest of 2 limes
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 1 tsp sauce
- 1 large bunch cilantro, stems removed2 cloves garlic
Toppings (this can vary depending on what you like!)
- 1 avocado (optional), sliced in half- sprinkled with lime juice and sea salt
- 1 package queso fresco (white Mexican cheese), crumbled
- 2 limes, sliced
- sea salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- cilantro
- 1 tomato
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeno
Sautee your peppers in a skillet while the skirt steak grills on direct heat.
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in an immersion blender or food processor.
- Marinate your skirt steak for at least 1 hour and up to 5 hours.
- Preheat your grill for medium direct heat, about 350-400 degrees. Using a cast iron skillet, put the skillet on the grill and add the olive oil. Once the oil gets hot, add the onion and peppers to saute on the grill.
- Grill the skirt steak on direct heat for 4 minutes per side, or until they begin to lightly develop char marks. Be careful not to overcook as this is a thin cut of meat and keep in mind that the meat will continue to cook after it’s taken off the grill.
- Tent the meat in foil for 5 minutes after it is taken off the grill. Once the onions are translucent, the veggies are ready to be taken off the grill.
Notes
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Your fajitas look and sound terrific – now I’m really looking forward to the 19th.
Oh boy, these look delicious, Robyn! Do you prefer the inside or outside cut of skirt steak? I like them both after trying them, for me it would depend whether I’m using it for fajitas or as a more traditional steak dish.
That looks fantastic! I love anything wrapped in a tortilla, and skirt steak? Best tasting cut on the cow, IMO.
Hey, if you can get it locally, try some Mexican Crema instead of the sour cream. Basically the same stuff, but the Mexican version is milder and creamier, I’ll never go back, lol!
Thanks for a great post (and awesome pictures), now I’m going to have to go shopping!
-Perry
Perry P. Perkins
Author
“La Caja China Cooking”
“La Caja China World”
Hi Perry,
I will definitely have to give the crema a try. No doubt it will be easy to find in Miami. Look forward to checking out your recipes on La Caja China!
If you are looking to cook the different style of steaks or any other meat dishes then this is the right collection of recipes for you: http://goo.gl/pLXHk
How much lime zest? We’re trying the marinade tomorrow.
About a teaspoons worth of lime zest. Good lUck!
I ran across your website about a week ago while I was looking at the the BGE site on FB. This is the first recipe I tried and it was great! I didn’t use Bell Pepper – but went with Publano and Cubanelle peppers. Thanx I am looking forward to more recipes!
Oh snap also used Tomatillos….
I love cubanelle and poblano peppers- and tomatillos! Thx for the idea!