WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Although the grill is great for achieving a crisp, nicely charred crust on steak for fajitas, we wanted a recipe that we could make indoors that would produce the same deeply flavorful results. Flank steak worked well, with its beefy flavor and tender texture when sliced, and pan-searing gave the steak a good crust. Traditionally, the steak for fajitas is marinated in lime juice before being cooked, but when we tried pan-searing the
marinated steak, it steamed rather than seared. To avoid this, we skipped the marinade and simply drizzled the lime juice on the cooked steak. To keep our recipe simple, we cooked the peppers and onions in the same pan we had used to cook the steak. This had the added benefits of allowing the vegetables to pick up flavorful fond from the pan and giving the steak time to rest while we cooked the vegetables. We prefer the flank steak cooked to medium-rare, but if you prefer it more or less done, see the chart. Serve the fajitas as is or with salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or lime wedges.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (1½-pound) flank steak, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
- 1 large red onion, halved and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 8–12 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pat steak dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook steak until well browned on both sides and meat registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer steak to carving board, drizzle with lime juice, and tent with aluminum foil.
- While steak rests, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bell peppers, onion, water, chili powder, hot sauce, cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until peppers are softened and onion is browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer vegetables to serving platter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice steak against grain into ¼-inch-thick slices and transfer to serving platter with vegetables. Serve with warm tortillas.
