He Said:
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that is virtually ignored in Mexico (at least according to Wikipedia). Perhaps that’s because the date memorializes the defeat of a French army in 1862. Who celebrates a military defeat of the French? That’s like high-fiving after you beat the blind kid down the street in an archery contest. It’s not like the Mexicans bested them in a sauteing throwdown or a cheese-off.
Whatever. We still love the growing influence of Cinco de Mayo and its annual celebration of Mexican culture (Don’t worry, Francophiles, we’ll make fun of other cultures on Bastille Day). Here’s our favorite way to make fajitas in a recipe that can be easily scaled for however many attend your fiesta. Here’s a link for catfish fajitas if you prefer seafood. And don’t forget the mojitos.
Grilled Marinated Beef Fajitas:
2 lbs skirt steak trimmed and sliced thinly (you can use chicken if you prefer)
2 or 3 bell peppers sliced thinly (colorful peppers. This is a fiesta after all)
1 sweet onion sliced thinly
2tbs olive oil
2tsp cumin
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime
cilantro
4 cloves garlic
corn or flour tortillas (we prefer corn)
salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cheese as you like them
Peel, dice, and crush garlic cloves and toss into a bag. Add olive oil, cumin, lime juice, and four or five sprigs of cilantro. Shake to combine. Add beef, peppers, and onions, shake to coat evenly, and refrigerate for at least two hours (overnight is even better).
Warm tortillas in the oven and put a heavy skillet on high heat until smoking hot. Remove cilantro sprigs and empty the remaining contents of the marinade into the skillet (you may want to consider doing this outside; it will be very smoky) and stir fry for about three or four minutes. Keep the stir fry moving so it doesn’t stick and burn.
Remove the skillet from heat, assemble your fajitas, and enjoy.
Vive la Mexico!
