Grilled beef fajitas with salsa and guacamole

In Mexico, fajitas are a taste of home-cooking, reminding locals of their mother’s kitchen. And like many Mexican meals, they’re served with tortillas and plenty of condiments: guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream.

Grilled beef fajitas with salsa and guacamole Credit: Smith Street Books

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) beef skirt steak
• 2 red onions, halved and sliced
• 1 red capsicum, sliced
• 1 green capsicum, sliced
• 1 yellow capsicum, sliced

Marinade

• 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 limes juiced
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ancho chilli powder
• 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• ½ tsp black pepper

Fresh tomato salsa

• 1 long red chilli, finely chopped
• 250 g (9 oz) cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 cup coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 lime, juiced

Guacamole

• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• ½ lime, juiced

To serve

• 10 flour tortillas
• 150 g (5½ oz) queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled
• 125 g (4½ oz/½ cup) sour cream

Marinating time: 2 hours

Instructions

1. To make the marinade, combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

2. Place the steaks in a dish and the onion and capsicum in a second dish. Divide the marinade between the dishes and mix to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. To make the salsa, combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.

4. To make the guacamole, combine the ingredients in a bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Season to taste. Cover and set aside until needed.

5. Preheat a barbecue grill and hotplate (griddle) to high and lightly grease with oil.

6. Cook the steaks on the grill for 1–2 minutes, then turn. Cook for another 1–2 minutes, and turn again. Continue cooking, turning every minute or so, for 8–10 minutes in total, or until done to your liking. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil and rest for 10 minutes.

7. Cook the capsicum and onion mix on the hotplate, turning occasionally, for about 5–8 minutes or until just cooked and slightly charred. Transfer to a serving platter and keep warm.

8. Cut the steaks diagonally into thin slices and transfer to the serving platter.

9. Briefly toast the tortillas on one side over the hot grill and stack onto a board. Serve with the salsa, guacamole, cheese and sour cream alongside.

Recipe from Feed The Man Meat (Smith Street Books).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.