by Holly
Carne Asada is a tasty Mexican-style steak recipe! Flank steak (or skirt steak) is marinated in an easy citrus garlic marinade and grilled to juicy perfection!
Slice into strips and serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings for a meal everyone will love!
What is Carne Asada?
I can never get enough Mexican food; from tacos and burritos to fresh pico de gallo and of course this recipe! Carne asada translates to “grilled beef” and in this recipe, it is marinated in a flavorful citrus mixture.
Carne Asada Marinade
The key to a tender carne asada is the marinade (and slicing the beef properly, more on tht below). The acidity in the marinade tenderizes the meat and gives the most delicious flavor! Allow at least a few of hours marinating time but overnight if you can!
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- Lime Juice and orange juice add acidity for tenderizing and lots of flavor
- Soy Sauce adds salt and a nice savory flavor
- Garlic adds flavor, I add 3 cloves but add more if you’d like!
Beef for Carne Asada
One of the reasons carne asada is so popular is because you can use a less expensive cut of meat, usually a skirt steak or a flank steak. You can, of course, use your favorite cuts, we sometimes use rib steak.
The marinade makes all the difference. It both tenderizes the meat and brings a savory flavor during the grilling process.
Most importantly, be sure to slice your beef against the grain. You will see long fibers in the meat, cut across the fibers for tender beef. If you cut with the fibers, you will get tough chewy meat.
To Make Carne Asada
- Marinate the flank steak (or steak of your choice) at least four hours or overnight per recipe below.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat and grill the marinated steak.
- Rest and slice the steak across the grain.
Serve as steak tacos, burritos, fajitas, or just serve over my favorite version of Mexican rice.
To Serve
This is the fun part! Set out toppings so everyone can build their own! Serve with warmed corn or flour tortillas and this delicious Mexican Corn salad.
TOPPING IDEAS
- Sauces: Salsa, Guacamole, Sour Cream, or Pico de Gallo.
- Crunchy Veggies: Sliced or diced Onions, cooked and diced potatoes, shredded cabbage, or shredded lettuce.
- Other Veggies: Sliced avocados, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes, and sliced jalapenos!
More Mexican Favorites
- Chicken Taquitos
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Pork Carnitas Recipe
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
Carne Asada
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank steak
Marinade
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 jalapeno halved and seeded
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
For Serving
- 8 corn tortillas
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients in a blender and pulse until blended. Marinate flank steak at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Grill the steak 7-9 minutes. Flip over and cook an additional 5-7 minutes or to reach desired doneness. Rest 10 minutes.
- While meat is resting, grill corn tortillas just until softened and lightly browned on the edges. Wrap in foil to keep warm.
- Slice steak across the grain and then cut into small pieces. Fill warmed tortillas with steak, pico de gallo, onion and guacamole.
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
