Seared Spicy Fajitas Recipes

SEARED SPICY FAJITAS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cumin, coriander, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Rub steaks all over with spice mixture.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high; add meat (if crowded, cook in two batches). Cook 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board. Tent steaks with aluminum foil, and let rest at least 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, reduce heat to medium; add bell peppers, onion, and chiles; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add lime juice, and stir, scraping up browned bits in skillet.
• Stack tortillas, and wrap in a damp paper towel or kitchen towel. Microwave on high 1 minute. Thinly slice steaks crosswise, and serve with tortillas, peppers, onion, and chiles, along with sour cream and lime wedges.

MARINATED STEAK & PEPPER FAJITAS

Steps:

• Whisk together first seven ingredients. Divide mixture between two large bowls. Add peppers and onion to one bowl; turn gently to coat. Cut skirt steaks in half and add to second bowl; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate vegetables and beef 8 hours or overnight., Drain vegetables and beef, discarding marinade. Grill onion and poblanos, covered, over medium heat until tender, 4-6 minutes per side. Grill jalapenos until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes per side. Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 160°), 4-6 minutes per side. Let steaks stand 5 minutes., Thinly slice peppers; coarsely chop onion. Cut steaks thinly across the grain. Serve vegetables and beef on tortillas; top with cheese.

SWEET-AND-SPICY BEEF FAJITAS

Steps:

• Cut beef into beef strips. (Beef is easier to cut if partially frozen, about 1 1/2 hours.)
• Heat 12-inch skillet or wok over high heat. Add oil; rotate skillet to coat side.
• Add beef; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown; drain. Stir in salsa, ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until hot. Serve in tortillas with remaining ingredients.

SEARED STEAK, PEPPER & ONION FAJITAS (FROM FINE COOKING)

Steps:

• Combine the salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne in a small bowl.
• Rub the steak with the seasoning on both sides.
• Heat the oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking.
• Put the steak in the hot pan and sear for 3 minutes.
• Turn the steak and cook for another 2 minutes (it will be very rare but will cook more later on).
• Take the skillet off the heat, transfer the steak to a cutting board, and cover loosely with foil.
• Return the skillet to medium heat.
• Add the pepper and onion slices and sauté, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 min.
• Add the jalapeno and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 1 min.
• Slide the skillet off the heat and stir in the lime juice, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
• Cover to keep warm.
• Trim the fat from the side of the steak and cut the steak into thin (1/8- to 1/4-inch) slices.
• Add the slices to the skillet along with any accumulated juices.
• Toss until well blended.
• Stir in the chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve immediately with warm flour tortillas, sliced avocado, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro sprigs.

STEAK FAJITAS

Steps:

• Combine the lime juice, ground pepper and cilantro in a shallow dish. Place steak strips into the marinade and refrigerate for two to four hours.
• Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak strips, and fry until cooked to your liking. Remove meat and set aside.
• Add remaining oil and onions to the skillet. Cook over medium low heat, until translucent, stir in green peppers and steak. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the top and stir. When the green bell peppers are just tender remove the pan from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the steak fajitas with tortillas and lemon wedges on the side.

SPICY CHICKEN FAJITAS

Steps:

• Combine 2 tablespoons of oil, lime juice and spices in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat it evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 8 hours.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onion and cook until crisp-tender. Remove to a plate.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Cook chicken for 5 to 6 minutes or until no longer pink. Return the pepper/onion mixture to the pan. Once warm, remove from heat.
• Warm the tortillas either in a nonstick skillet or in the microwave.Spoon the chicken mixture down the center or each tortilla and top with desired toppings.Serve.

SWEET AND SPICY FLANK STEAK FAJITAS WITH PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• For the sweet and spicy marinade: Put the olive oil, cilantro, honey, lime juice, thyme, garlic, jalapenos, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor and pulse to puree. Transfer the mixture to a nonreactive container, add the flank steak and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours before cooking
• For the peppers and onions: Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until hot. Toss the peppers and onions in a bowl with the olive oil, lime juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pepper-onion mixture to the hot pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the edges are charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat and brush the grill grates with oil.
• Grill the flank steak until marked, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a cutting board and thinly slice.
• Serve with the warm tortillas and toppings.

MY FAVORITE FAJITAS

Steps:

• Smoke the skirt steak according to the directions below.
• To make the marinade: while the steak is cooling, toast the cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the constantly so they don't burn or stick, just until they are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let them cool, Squeeze the juice from the limes into 1-gallon heavy plastic resealable bag. Add the cumin seeds, garlic, salt, and the pepper flakes and swish the marinade around to dissolve the salt. Slip the cooled steaks into the marinade, press out most of the air from the bag, and seal the bag very tightly. Refrigerate the beef for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day, turning the bag several times.
• To prepare the accompaniments, heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep, skillet over medium heat. Stir in the red onions and cook, stirring often, until they are wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the green peppers and cook until they are wilted enough t make room for the red peppers. Add the red peppers, season the vegetables lightly with salt and adjust the heat to low. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 20 minutes. The vegetables can be prepared several hours in advance. Reheat them over low heat just before serving.
• To prepare the fajitas indoors: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil. Reheat the vegetables if necessary. Drain the steak well and discard the marinade. Heat a lightly oiled large grill pan or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Cook the steak, turning once, just until seared on both sides, about 5 minutes. At this point the steak will be about medium-rare. Turn off the heat and continue cook in the hot pan for a more well-done steak. Remove the steak from the skillet to a carving board and let it rest about 5 minutes. Pop the tortillas into the oven and let them warm while the steak is resting.
• To prepare the fajitas on a charcoal or gas grill: Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil. Reheat the vegetables if necessary, using a corner of the grill if there is room. Drain the steak well and discard the marinade. Cook the steak on the hottest part of the grill until both sides are well browned, about 6 minutes. The steak at this point will be about medium-rare, move the steak to a cooler part of the grill and continue to cook it for a more well-done steak. Remove the steak to a carving board and let it rest about 5 minutes. Set the tortilla on a moderately hot part of the grill and let them warm, turning once or twice, while the steak rests.
• To serve: Cut the steak crosswise into thin slices and pile the slices on a serving plate. Serve the vegetables directly from the skillet or scoop them into a serving bowl. Pass the tortillas, salsa, sour cream, steak, and vegetables around the table and let everyone dress their own fajitas as they like.
• Prepare stovetop smoker with soaked wood chips according to manufacturers' instructions.
• Trim any excess fat from the surface of the steak and cut the steak in half crosswise.
• Season the skirt steak with a generous rubbing of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper or Southwestern rub.
• One end of the steak will be considerably thinner and cook faster than the other half. If you would like to cook both halves to the same doneness, add the thinner pieces to the smoker after the thicker pieces have been smoking for about 8 minutes. If you are not planning to finish the steak on the grill as described above, smoke the halves until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each half registers 125 degrees F. for a medium-rare steak, about 24 minutes after closing the smoker lid, longer for more well done steaks. (Skirt steaks are a little tricky to check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. Poke the thickest part of the steak with the thermometer in a few places, aiming for the center of the steak.) If you do plan to grill the steak after smoking, cook the steaks to a temperature of 100 to 105 degrees F, which will take about 18 minutes. The steaks can be smoked up to 2 days before grilling them.
• Smoke the tomatoes according to the directions below. Cool them to room temperature.
• Peel off as much of the skins as will come off easily. Chop the tomatoes coarsely and toss them together with the chiles, red onion and cilantro in a bowl. Season with salt to taste. The salsa improves if it stands at room temperature for about half an hour before serving. You can refrigerate the salsa for up to one day. Bring it to room temperature and drain off any liquid before serving.
• Prepare stovetop smoker with soaked wood chips according to manufacturers¿ instructions.
• Cut the cored from the tomatoes with a paring knife then cut the tomatoes in half through the core end. Squeeze out the seeds and juice. Line the tomato halves side by side and cut side up on the smoking rack.
• Season the cut side of the tomatoes with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
• Smoke until the tomatoes are softened, but not mushy; 10 minutes over the heat after closing the smoker lid and about 20 minutes off the heat with the smoker lid closed.
• Check the tomatoes for doneness after they've been standing off the heat for 10 minutes.
• Serve smoked tomatoes as a side dish with just about any grilled or roasted meat, or seafood dish.
• Snap the stems off the dried peppers, if using them. For a milder rub, tap out and discard the seeds. Crumble all the peppers into a small saucepan and add the coriander and cumin seeds. Toast the mix over low heat, stirring constantly, until the seeds are lightly browned and little wisps of smoke rise from the pan. Pour the spices onto a plate and cool them to room temperature. Grind them to a powder in a spice mill. Store the rub in an airtight jar in a cool, dark place for up to two weeks.

BROILED STEAK FAJITAS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup oil, vinegar, oregano, sugar, chili powder, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Pour 1/2 cup marinade into a shallow dish. Add the beef and turn to coat. Cover; refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade., Drain steak and discard marinade. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 135°; medium, 140°; medium-well, 145°), basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onions and peppers in oil until tender. Serve on tortillas with beef and toppings.

SPICY STEAK FAJITAS - MEXICO

Steps:

• Combine lime juice and flank steak.
• Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet; saute steak 1 minute.
• Add green and red bell peppers, onion, red pepper flakes, chili powder and salt; saute for 3 minutes.
• 3. Spoon into warm flour tortilla.
• Serve with salsa, sour cream and avocado.

SPICY BEEF FAJITAS

Steps:

• Hold each tortilla with tongs and heat over a gas-burner flame until warm. (Alternatively, wrap stacked tortillas in foil, and heat in a 375°F oven.) Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bell peppers, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and coriander; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are tender and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add steak and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add lime juice, and stir, scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet.
• Serve beef mixture with tortillas and accompaniments, as desired.

SEARED-STEAK FAJITAS

Steps:

• In a shallow dish or bowl, combine steak, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup lime juice. Refrigerate 1 hour, turning steak occasionally. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice. Set garlic oil aside.
• Remove steak from marinade and blot dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. In a cast-iron or heavy skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high. Cook steak until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and loosely tent with foil.
• Add peppers and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in reserved garlic oil. Thinly slice steak and serve with vegetables, tortillas, cheese, tomato, and cilantro.

SPICY SHRIMP FAJITAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in the hot oil until they begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Add shrimp, chipotle peppers, sazon seasoning, and lime juice and continue to saute until shrimp are bright pink on the outside and the meat is opaque, about 5 minutes.
• Serve with warm tortillas.