Ways to Make Fajitas
Fajitas are a popular menu item at Mexican restaurants. You can make them at home using traditional ingredients and following the original methods, or choose more modern components and directions. Whichever route you choose, no special tools or equipment are required to create tasty, satisfying fajitas. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Meat Choices
-
Traditional fajitas are made with beef, specifically skirt steak, a tough cut of beef that is exceptionally flavorful and tender when properly cut and cooked. Fajitas get their name from this beef cut, as the Spanish word faja translates to belt or girdle in English, which is what a skirt steak resembles. Flank steak is a good skirt steak substitute. Modern fajitas are made with beef, pork, chicken or seafood.
Seasonings and Vegetables
-
Conventional fajita meat is heavily scored with and against the grain of the meat and marinated in lime juice mixed with red wine vinegar, soy sauce, molasses, cilantro, garlic, cumin and black pepper for at least an hour and up to one day. Some recipes recommend marinating the vegetables as well for an hour or so. Contemporary recipes merely toss the ingredients in the mixture before cooking. Both old and new fajita recipes call for sliced red and green bell peppers and yellow onions.
-
Cooking Methods
-
Fajita meat and vegetables are customarily cooked quickly over a wood or charcoal fire until they are slightly charred. Contemporary recipes suggest sautéing or stove top grilling as alternate methods. The ingredients are normally cooked before they are sliced. The flour tortillas used to wrap the fajita ingredients can be heated in a microwave or conventional oven to soften.
Construction and Garnishes
-
Lay a warm tortilla on a plate and arrange the meat and vegetables down the center. Garnish with your choice of toppings, which typically include salsa, guacamole, sour cream, freshly chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese. Roll the tortilla up to enclose the ingredients and the fajita is ready to eat.
Options
-
You can use corn instead of flour tortillas but they are less pliable and prone to cracking or breaking. If you are cooking for a crowd, prepare the fajitas ahead of time without garnishes and keep them warm in a chafing dish, with the toppings offered on the side. Cut the meat and vegetables before cooking to reduce cooking time. If you choose this option, be careful not to overcook the meat and vegetables as the meat may toughen and the vegetables become soggy.
-
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
