anybody have any good fajita marinade recipes?

[lavenderdiva]

I fixed steak fajitas tonight using a recipe from Tyler Florence. His recipes are usually fantastic, but this marinade was especially 'limey'-- a lot of lime flavor overpowering everything else.

Just wondering if anyone else has any good marinades for fajitas that I might try?

[mike_c]

1. you might want to simply decrease the lime in that recipe...

...if you liked it otherwise. Was it just lime juice or was there lime zest, too? Throw the cut limes into the bag with the meat? Anyway, why not try simply reducing the amount of lime?

[lavenderdiva]

2. it had about a 1/4 cup of lime juice and some orange juice

some chopped jalapenos, chopped cilantro, canola oil, salt, cumin. I marinated the meat for about 4-5 hrs, but the only thing you could really taste from the marinade was the lime juice. The fajitas I've had in restaurants have more depth of flavor.

[mike_c]

5. sounds like it needs some ground chili, chili powder, etc....

politicat's recipe is closer to the fajitas I make-- I rub the meat with lots of chili powder, usually just ground anchos if I have them (I grind them dry in a coffee grinder)-- before I marinade it. I also use garlic in my marinade-- here's how I do it, more or less (it's always a little different and I haven't done it in a while):

rub the flank or skirt steak with ground ancho chili powder or a good quality regular chili powder and some salt and a generous grinding of fresh black pepper-- use plenty of the chili powder
toss into a zip lock bag with:

juice of 2 limes + the squeezed lime halves
1/4 cup tequila (if you like the agave taste-- I do)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup canola oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1-2 serrano peppers, sliced
1-2 tsp or so ground cumin
1-2 tsp dried oregano

Marinade for a couple of hours at least or overnight, then grill and slice the meat as usual, just a few minutes per side. This is from memory, but it sounds right.

I wouldn't bother with cilantro in the marinade since it's in the salsa served alongside the fajitas.

[lavenderdiva]

6. Yummy, yummy, YUMMY!!!

those sound awesome, mike_c!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe- I will definitely try it, and let you know how it goes, ok? :hi:

ps. you're right about the cilantro. I included it in my original recipe, and it all came off on the grill anyway, and I didn't taste any flavor that it imparted in the marinating stage.

[politicat]

3. We like mine, but yours may vary.

We start with 1 TB taco seasoning -- you can use a commercial one or if you make your own, you can use your own (we make our own.) For 2 pounds of skirt steak (not cut) and 1 large onion and 2-3 bell peppers, we add 1/3 C veg oil, the juice of either 3 key limes or 1 small lemon, and minced garlic.

taco seasoning is chile powder, onion powder, cumin, and some other stuff. I'm not home, so remind me next week and I'll transcribe my recipe for you.

[lavenderdiva]

4. thanks, politicat

I'll look forward to trying it. I think the reason I didn't really like my variation, was that it didn't taste Tex-Mex enough, and yours sounds good... :hi:

[TygrBright]

7. Quick n' easy from Santa Fe

(Sorry about the small quantities, we don't eat a lot of meat so rarely prepare a bigger recipe. Just double it, I guess...)

1/2 lb. skirt or flank steak cut into 1-in strips

roll the strips in a mix of:

about a tablespoon of powdered ancho or New Mexico red chile
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 lg clove garlic minced
fresh ground black pepper

stick 'em in a ziploc bag with:
2 tbsp canola or peanut oil
about 2 tsp honey
about 1 tsp cider vinegar
a couple of sprigs of fresh cilantro

turn the bag after 1 hour and leave for 1 hour more, before dumping the strips onto paper towels and patting the excess moisture off.

Then heat the SKILLET over med. high heat, add half a tbsp (NO MORE!) of canola or peanut oil and immediately drop in the strips of meat, stirring to coat them and continuing to stir until they're just cooked. It'll splatter a bit but they'll cook fast and flavorful.

In a separate skillet we fry up marinated onion strips, strips of bell and banana pepper, and sometimes juliennes of zucchini or summer squash. Veg. marinade is simple, just oil, lemon or lime juice, salt, a bit of crushed garlic and a splash of hot sauce. You don't need to marinade the veggies any longer than 15-20 minutes, but again, pat them dry.

Serve it all in really FRESH tortillas with queso sauce. Voila! Santa Fe cheesesteak. Eatcher heart out, Philly.

epicurially,
Bright

[hobbit709]

8. I start with a bottle of Guinness

Add 1 or 2 powdered dried habaneros-I like heat
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp powdered cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp allspice
1 bottle garlic juice
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
Mix it all together in a baking dish. Add the meat cover and refrigerate overnight.
Grill and serve with pico de gallo and whatever else you want to add.