(Chicago) – Just a little background, “fajita” is the diminutive form of Spanish word “faja” which mean belt or griddle. In Filipino, we call it similarly but with different spelling, “paha”. Nowadays, fajita is referred to as a Mexican dish composed of any grilled meat with onion, bell pepper on tortilla.
For obvious reasons, skirt steak was first used for this dish that’s why it’s called “fajita”. But there are many variations now like chicken fajita, lamb, beef or shrimp. Calling some dish “fajita” without skirt steak in it is plainly illogical. Well, everything in this universe evolves, including the term “fajita”.
To adhere to the original form of “fajita”, I used skirt steak in this recipe. The marinade is a common Tex-Mex fajita mixture. This is a good recipe for the grill before summer hibernates in a few weeks.
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs Skirt Steak
Marinade:
- 1/3 cup fresh lime
- ¼ cup tequila
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Prepare the skirt steak. Trim the excess fats. Skirt steak usually comes in long belt-like cuts. To make it easier to manage, you may cut the meat along the grain into 10-12 inches long.
Combine all the ingredients, except the meat, in a gallon-size freezer bag (ziplock). Mix the marinade well in the bag and then, put the steak slices in. Zip the bag tightly and toss carefully to distribute mixture evenly. If time permits, refrigerate the bag overnight, preferably, but remove from fridge an hour before grilling, for the steak to come to room temperature. Otherwise, marinate for at least an hour and no need to refrigerate.
Pre-heat the grill to medium-high for 10 minutes. Then, grill the steak until medium rare for about 4-6 minutes per side. Remove from heat and let the steak rest for 5 minutes. Slice, against the grain, into short strips.
