When I was browsing through my new cookbook the other day, I put lots of little slips of paper in the pages bookmarking recipes that I wanted to try. This recipe was one of the bookmarks I could hardly wait to try.
The tacos call for flank steak which is probably one of my all-time favorite cuts of meat so I was already sure to like them. You cut the flank steak along the grain into four strips and then marinate it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (I was in a hurry for lunch so we only marinated ours for 30 minutes and it was still delicious.) I actually misread my recipe and ended up marinating it whole and then cutting it into the strips but it still worked fine although next time I will definitely cut it before hand so the marinade gets into the meat even more.
While the meat was marinating, I threw together a fresh pico for topping the tacos and it was the perfect addition to our tacos. I loved the flavor of the finished tacos and they reminded me of some tacos Jeffrey and I ate in San Francisco. We will definitely be incorporating this recipe into our menu on a regular basis. I even think it will be great on the grill this spring and summer.
Steak Tacos
Printer Friendly Recipe
For the Herb Paste Marinade:
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 jalapeño stemmed and seeded and cut into several pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
For the Steak:
1 (1 1/2 – 1 3/4-pound) flank steak, cut lengthwise (with the grain) into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon kosher slat
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
cooking spray
Tacos:
corn or flour tortillas, warmed
chopped tomatoes, fresh pico de gallo, or toppings of your choice
Directions:
For the Herb Paste:
Pulse cilantro, garlic, scallions, jalapeño, and cumin in food processor until finely chopped (10-12 pulses) scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the oil and process until the mixture is smooth and resembles pesto. Transfer 2 tablespoons to a small bowl and whisk in 1 tablespoon lime juice. Set aside herb paste with lime juice for serving.
For the Steak:
Poke each piece of steak 10-12 times on each side with a dinner fork (Remember you should have already cut the steak into 4 equal pieces with the grain). Place the steak in a large baking dish; rub all sides of steak pieces evenly with salt and then coat with the herb paste. Cover dish and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Scrape herb paste off steak and sprinkle all sides of the meat evenly with sugar and black pepper. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with 1 Tbsp. of Oil. Once the pan gets hot place the steak in the skillet and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip steak and sear until well browned (2-3 minutes). Continue until all cut sides of the steak are well browned and the meat registers 125-130 degrees. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
Slice steak into thin slices across the grain. If desired toss the steak with the reserved herb paste or serve the paste along side as a topping. Spoon a few pieces of the steak into the center of the warm tortillas and serve with toppings of your choice.
*We served our herb paste on the side to accommodate our children.
Steak resting before it is cut into thin slices. Resting the meat is essential to make sure the juice does not run out of the meat.
Delicious steak ready to be made into tacos.
