Main Dishes
Cheesy Skirt Steak Tacos
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
25 minutes
Yield
10 tacos
These delicious Skirt Steak Tacos are the perfect recipe for a busy weeknight and are loaded with flavor. The whole family will love them!
These easy, cheesy Skirt Steak Tacos are a weeknight game-changer. They are made with a simple marinade and need just a few minutes on the grill or in a pan. In no time, you’ll have tender, juicy steak perfect for filling warm tortillas. Skirt steaks unique grain soaks up flavor and cooks quickly, making it perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Skirt Steak Tacos
- Easy: These tacos are the perfect weeknight meal because they are so easy to make. Prep them in 10-minutes and have them on the table for the family in 45.
- Healthy: These tacos are loaded with healthy protein, and can be paired with your favorite veg on the side for a complete meal.
- Versatile: Tacos are versatile so you can totally make these your own through the toppings, sauces, or serving.
🍲 Ingredients
Skirt Steak – Skirt steak is a long, flat cut of beef that is known for its deep and rich flavor. It comes from the diaphragm muscle of the cow which gives the meat a distinct, loose grain. The coarse texture makes it perfect for absorbing marinades and making a delicious charred crust when cooked over high heat. Skirt steak is often used in tacos, fajitas, and stir-fries.
Capers – Capers are unopened, unripened flower buds of the caper bush and they are preserved in a salty brine. This gives them a briny, tangy flavor, and it makes for a great ingredient in a marinade to add a punch of acidity and salt. The combo of acidity and salt also helps breakdown tough meat fibers and really helps tenderize the skirt steak in this case.
👩🍳 How to Make Skirt Steak Tacos
- To make the quick steak marinade, add the orange juice, olive oil, garlic cloves, diced onion, cilantro leaves, cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, chili powder, capers, banana peppers, brown sugar and salt to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour the steak marinade into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add all of the frozen, knife sliced steak pieces to the marinade in the bowl, toss to fully coat and let sit for 10-20 minutes or until the steak pieces have thawed.
- Heat a flat top grill to medium-high heat, about 400F.
- Oil the flat top well and when the flat top is hot, add all of the steak pieces, spreading into a single layer on the flat top. Cook for about 1 ½ minutes, flip and then cook for another 1 ½ minutes.
- Remove the steak pieces from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Assemble the tacos: Lay the tortillas out on a cutting board or even a large baking sheet. Divide the cheese between 10 soft tacos, sprinkling the cheese over each tortilla. Then layer the cooked steak pieces on one side of each tortilla.
- Heat a flat top grill or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and when the flat top or pan is hot, lay 2 tortillas at a time in the pan or as many that will fit on the flat top grill (don’t fold them over yet). Let them cook for about 1 minute until the cheese starts to melt, then use a spatula to fold over the tortilla to close it. Cook the tortillas for 1-2 more minutes per side until crispy. Repeat until all tacos are cooked.
- To serve, pull the taco apart and add a tablespoon or two of your favourite salsa. Fold the taco back up and enjoy!
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Rush the Marinade: While the recipe says to let the steak thaw in the marinade, you can get even better flavor and tenderness by marinating it for longer. For best results, let the steak sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes, or even up to a few hours if you have the time.
- Don’t Overcook the Steak: Skirt steak is a thin cut, and it can go from perfectly cooked to tough and chewy in a matter of seconds. Keep a close eye on it during the cooking process. The goal is a quick sear on both sides, leaving the inside medium-rare.
- Always Rest the Meat: After cooking, letting the steak rest for 5 minutes is a crucial step. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, resulting in a more tender and juicy bite.
🗒 Variations
If you love these Skirt Steak Tacos, try some of my other steak recipes:
🗒 Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover tacos in your fridge and when you’re ready to enjoy, throw them in a pan to reheat them so they don’t get soggy. Leftovers will last for about 3-4 days but of course, they are better enjoyed fresh.
🤔 Common Questions
Skirt steak is one of the best choices for tacos due to its flavor and unique texture. Its loose grain makes it excellent for absorbing marinades and it cooks quickly, making it ideal for fast, high-heat cooking.
Slicing against the grain is the most crucial step for ensuring tender skirt steak. The “grain” refers to the muscle fibers that run the length of the steak. By slicing perpendicular to these fibers, you shorten them, making the meat easier to chew and more tender.
Flank steak is a great substitute as it has a similar shape and grain. Other options include flat iron steak or even sirloin, but you may need to adjust the cooking time as they are thicker cuts.
No problem! A cast-iron skillet or any heavy-bottomed pan is an excellent substitute for a flat top grill. The key is to get the pan very hot before adding the steak to ensure a good sear.
Cheesy Skirt Steak Tacos
Ingredients
For the steak
- 1 1/2 lbs (650-680 grams) frozen skirt or flank steak (make sure to freeze in a single layer), cut into thin slices using a knife while frozen
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2-3 navel oranges)
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup diced white onion
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp capers, drained from their brine
- ¼ cup pickled hot banana peppers, drained from their brine
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For serving
- 10 – 6-inch soft corn or flour tortillas
- 3 cups grated mozzarella cheese or monterey jack cheese
- Serve with salsa of choice
Instructions
- To make the quick steak marinade, add the orange juice, olive oil, garlic cloves, diced onion, cilantro leaves, cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, chili powder, capers, banana peppers, brown sugar and salt to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour the steak marinade into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add all of the frozen, knife sliced steak pieces to the marinade in the bowl, toss to fully coat and let sit for 10-20 minutes or until the steak pieces have thawed.
- Heat a flat top grill to medium-high heat, about 400F.
- Oil the flat top well and when the flat top is hot, add all of the steak pieces, spreading into a single layer on the flat top. Cook for about 1 ½ minutes, flip and then cook for another 1 ½ minutes.
- Remove the steak pieces from the grill and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Assemble the tacos: Lay the tortillas out on a cutting board or even a large baking sheet. Divide the cheese between 10 soft tacos, sprinkling the cheese over each tortilla. Then layer the cooked steak pieces on one side of each tortilla.
- Heat a flat top grill or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and when the flat top or pan is hot, lay 2 tortillas at a time in the pan or as many that will fit on the flat top grill (don’t fold them over yet). Let them cook for about 1 minute until the cheese starts to melt, then use a spatula to fold over the tortilla to close it. Cook the tortillas for 1-2 more minutes per side until crispy. Repeat until all tacos are cooked.
- To serve, pull the taco apart and add a tablespoon or two of your favourite salsa. Fold the taco back up and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t have a flat top grill, use a large non-stick skillet instead to cook the steak.
- While this is a great hack for frozen steak, you can definitely make this recipe with fresh steak too.
- Go the extra mile and add some shredded cheese to the grill before placing the tacos on top to create a crispy cheese coating on the outside.
