When we asked New York City chef Aarón Sanchez—who you might also know as a judge on the Food Network’s Chopped—for his tastiest lean taco recipe, we were surprised when he came back with a steak taco.
But the chef brilliantly uses flank steak, which he trims of all fat and marinates in jalapenos, then adds barely a spoonful of oil to the whole thing. Sanchez scores extra points by making homemade salsa, but to save on time, any fresh, store-bought variety (with a little kick, of course) will do the trick. Here, the full recipe for Aarón Sanchez’s Tacos de Carne Asada.
Ingredients:
- 1 flank steak, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 cup pickled jalapenos, including the carrots and onions that come in the jar
- Salt and pepper
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1/4 cup white onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons salsa de arbol (or other hot salsa)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (plus more as needed)
Directions:
1.) Cover flank steak on one side with the pickled jalapenos, then turn over and let sit at room temperature, covered for 1 hour.
2.) Preheat the grill or broiler.
3.) Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper and place on the hot grill or under the broiler. Cook the steak for 5 to 6 minutes on each side (for medium rare), and then chop into ¼ inch pieces.
4.) Heat a small saute pan and add 1 tablespoon canola oil. Warm corn tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, adding more oil as necessary. Stack 2 tortillas together, place the meat in the center of the tortillas and top with the onion and cilantro. Drizzle a teaspoon of salsa on top of each taco.
Serves: 4 to 6
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