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Mexican

Steak Fajitas

Skirt or flank steak sliced and seared with peppers and onions. Cook it in a skillet, or on a grill if you already have it hot.

Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Jump to recipe
Sliced steak with peppers and onions, warm tortillas, and lime.

Why you’ll love it

  • A short cook is the right cook for skirt and flank.
  • Slicing against the grain is written into the steps because it changes the texture.
  • You can use a grill or a skillet with the same seasoning.
  • The vegetables char, which is what makes fajitas smell like fajitas.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Pat the steak dry. Rub with salt, chili powder, cumin, pepper, and 1 tablespoon oil.

  2. 2

    Skillet: heat a large pan over high. Sear the steak 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium, around 145°F, or about 130°F if you want medium-rare. Grill: cook over direct high heat for a similar time, turning once. Rest 5 minutes.

  3. 3

    Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in the skillet over high. Cook the peppers and onion until charred in spots and softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic for 20 seconds. If you are grilling, you can cook the vegetables in a grill basket.

  4. 4

    Slice the steak thinly against the grain.

  5. 5

    Warm the tortillas.

  6. 6

    Serve the steak and vegetables with tortillas and lime.

Pro tips

  • Rest the steak before you slice or the juices run out onto the board.
  • Cut across the grain. Look for the lines in the meat and slice perpendicular to them.
  • A crowded pan of peppers will steam. Use high heat and do not stir every second.

Easy substitutions

Skirt steak
Flank or hanger. Avoid a thick roast steak that will not cook in this time.
Flour tortillas
Corn tortillas.
Two bell peppers
One bell and one poblano.

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate steak and vegetables up to 3 days.

Reheating

Warm quickly in a hot skillet so the steak does not go well-done. The texture will be firmer than day one.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
480
Protein
32 g
Carbs
34 g
Fat
22 g
Fiber
3 g

Special occasion · Stovetop, Grill · High Protein

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients