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These steak fajitas are tender, easy, and super flavorful thanks to a tangy blood orange marinade. This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and can also be made vegan.
Difference Between Fajitas and Tacos
Although the line between fajitas and tacos gets a little blurred, they have their slight differences.
Fajitas are always made with sauteed peppers and onions and marinated cuts of meat. Sometimes the vegetables are marinaded also, but not always. The marinade helps to tenderize the meat and infuse it with flavor. Once cooked, everything is served party-style on a platter so each person can assemble their own fajita and toppings.
There's no limit to what you can fill a taco with. Not only do tacos have more variety, but they're already assembled and usually are served with fresh vegetables.
Ingredients
- flank or skirt steak
- bell peppers
- red onion
- olive oil
- blood orange juice & zest
- lime juice
- honey - helps to bring out the natural sweetness in the blood orange juice without making it sweet
- spices: ground cumin, garlic powder, chili powder
- salt & pepper
How To Make Steak Fajitas
Make The Marinade
Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and add the steak. Go in with your hands and massage the marinade into the meat and then make sure it’s sitting nicely in the marinade so it gets infused with the most flavor. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Cook It Up
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a little oil and the steak. Discard the leftover marinade. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side until it's cooked to your liking. Four minutes will yield closer to medium-rare, but this also depends on the thickness of your meat.
Move the meat to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. Let it sit for 7-10 minutes. Cut across the grain into thin strips. Finish with flakey salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
While the meat rests, add the peppers and onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Just Add Toppings
Serve with warm corn or flour tortillas and any additional toppings you want such as avocado, cilantro, pico de gallo, cashew cream, shredded cheese, or lime and/or blood orange wedges.
Make It Your Way: Ingredient Substitutions
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make these blood-orange marinated steak fajitas using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No steak? ➝ use chicken instead
- Plant-based? ➝ sub portobello mushrooms
- No blood orange? ➝ use the juice and zest from orange, mandarine, or tangerine
- No honey? ➝ sub maple syrup
Tools Needed
- large bowl - for marinading the meat
- whisk
- liquid measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- chef knife
- cutting board
- large cast iron skillet
Helpful Tips For Making the Best Steak Fajitas
How Long To Marinate The Steak
The longer the meat sits in the marinade the better the flavor will be. Ideally, four hours is the minimum I'd suggest, but if you only have 45 minutes to an hour, they'll still be great. Just don't let the meat marinate over 24 hours.
Go Against The Grain
Once the meat has finished resting, cut it into strips against the grain. This paired with the marinade will make it nice and tender.
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Blood Orange Marinaded Steak Fajitas
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2 pounds pounds flank or skirt steak
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon blood orange zest
- ¼ cup blood orange juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bell peppers, seeds removed and cut into strips any color
- 1 onion, cut into slices yellow, white, or red
- warm corn or flour tortillas
- lime or blood orange wedges
Optional Toppings
- cilantro
- avocado or guacamole
- pico de gallo
- cashew cream
- shredded cheese
Instructions
- Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl and add the steak. Go in with your hands and massage the marinade into the meat and then make sure it’s sitting nicely in the marinade so it gets infused with the most flavor. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a little oil and the steak. Discard the leftover marinade. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side until it's cooked to your liking. Four minutes will yield closer to medium-rare, but this also depends on the thickness of your meat.
- Move the meat to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. Let it sit for 7-10 minutes. Cut across the grain into thin strips. Finish with flakey salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- While the meat rests, add the peppers and onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Serve everything separately on a platter with some additional toppings of choice.
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