Carne Asada
by Chungah
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Cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, orange + lime juice, garlic, jalapeno and cumin make for the easiest and most flavorful marinade. SO SO GOOD.
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reasons to make carne asada
- Easy, simple, flavorful marinade
- Juiciest, most tender flank steak
- Great make-ahead recipe, marinating ahead of time
- Has so many uses, perfect as an entree with rice and salsa or stuffing tacos and burritos
What is carne asada?
Carne asada, translated to “grilled meat”, is typically made with skirt steak, flap steak or flank steak, marinated in lime juice and then grilled or seared for that charred flavor. Carne asada can be served as a main dish with rice and beans, and can also be served as a filling for burritos, tacos and quesadillas.
tips and tricks for success
- Use a hot cast iron grill pan. When opting to cook indoors, a heavy bottom pan, such as a cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet, retains heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking, a better sear and smoky, caramelized flavors.
- Use reduced sodium soy sauce. Reduced sodium has less sodium and less salt without compromising flavor. The soy sauce will also add flavor, saltiness and umami.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice. While bottled lime juice can work in a pinch, freshly squeezed is ideal here for its vibrant, stronger flavors.
- Let your meat rest. Let your meat rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Slice against the grain. This will shorten muscle fibers, leaving you with more tender (less chewy) pieces of meat.
- Double the sauce. Need extra sauce for tacos or burrito bowls? The sauce portion can easily be doubled or tripled for those saucy folks!
freezing and storage
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 250°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
Freeze before cooking
Transfer the marinated meat to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To cook, thaw overnight in the fridge and cook as directed, adding a few more minutes of cook time as needed.
Freeze after cooking
Let cool completely. Transfer the meat to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, reheating in the oven at 250°F, covered in aluminum foil until warmed through.
what to serve with carne asada
Tools For This Recipe
Cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet
Carne Asada: Frequently Asked Questions
Skirt steak, flat iron steak and hanger steak are all great options here.
Patting the steak dry will allow for a better sear and crust. If there is too much moisture (marinade), the meat will steam instead.
No grill, no problem. A cast iron grill pan or a large cast iron skillet will work beautifully here, especially during those winter months when it’s too cold to grill out!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Carne Asada
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, cumin and 1 teaspoon pepper; set aside 1/2 cup of the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine steak and remaining cilantro mixture; marinate for at least 4 hours to overnight, turning the bag occasionally. Drain the steak from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Using paper towels, pat both sides of the steak dry; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add steak to grill, and cook, flipping once, until desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Thinly slice steak against the grain and serve with reserved 1/2 cup cilantro mixture.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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Hi there-
Any suggestions on what I can use if I do not have a grill?
You can broil it on high in your oven. You can also use a cast iron pan stove top. Either way, just try to get the steak as dry as possible before cooking.
Love it!
Outstanding! Very flavorful!!
Very juicy with medium rare steak.
I’m salivating. That does look damn delicious! Can’t wait to try this version.
This was a big hit. Before marinating overnight, I pounded the flank steak out flat with a tenderizing hammer and the end result, cooked on the grill, was very tender and juicy, much more so than I expected flank steak to be I left the cilantro out of the marinade because not everyone likes it and I was unsure about the group I was serving it to, and served chopped cilantro on the side instead. I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce so I used regular instead and just didn’t add any additional salt, and the amount of saltiness was perfect.
In the past when making carne asada I’ve just usually winged it with soy sauce, lime juice, chili peppers, and whatever cut of beef happened to be on sale, but this recipe helped me step up my game considerably. Definitely a keeper.
I made this as a sliced steak last night in cast iron skillet on stove. I liked it. Found the meat a little tough still even though marinated 10 hours and cooked very high heat. Marinade /sauce was flavorful but oily. Parts were cooked to med well (edges), inside was barely med rare. So…not sure yet.
Diane…flank steak and flap steak are both very lean cuts of beef, and if you overcook, they get quite tough. So, if you notice on the picture, it is still pink in the middle. Flap steak should be the same. I would perhaps not cook on very high heat. my housemate, who is Salvadoran, and does most of the grilling here. His recommendation is to cook on medium-medium high, no higher.
I made this and it was fabulous the next day! The second day with the second day of sitting go with the second day of meat. You will not be disappointed!!!
It’s marinating in the fridge right now! I could drink this marinade it’s that good! Can’t wait until the steak is cooked!
Made it last night exactly as directed and it brought tears to my eyes…it’s THAT GOOD. I would eat an old shoe if it was marinated in this. Thanks for a great recipe.
Great recipe, but really LOVED the old recipe too. Any chance the old recipe is posted somewhere for use?
I used VERY THICK Chuck Eye Steaks, marinated and seared on grill for a couple minute, then cut into 1/4 inch cubes added more of the marinate and cooked on high heat in a frying pan. Used as Taco meat. Came out perfect and gave a grilled flavor to it. Chuck Eye Steak is a cheaper version of Rib Eye and has a good fat content which adds a lot more flavor than flank steak.
Thank you so much! This was perfection!
You are so talented! I love seeing your site in my email – I know that something delicious is waiting for me. You are my go-to for Damn Delcious meals/ideas/ mouth watering pictures and just pure gastronomic pleasure. Don’t go away – you have a faithful following.
SERIOUSLY the best. SO easy and we put the steak and sauce on street taco size tortillas with a little red onion and OH MY GOSH we were in heaven. This marinade was NOT too spicy whatsoever (though it might be with the jalepeno.) Damn Delicious is my favorite food blog!
This looks wonderful. T-bone steaks were in sale for $4.99/lb, much cheaper than their flank steak. I think I will try them with this instead of freezing them for later.
Love, love this recipe! Girl, you are the bomb!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!❤❤❤
Made this last night for my husband and adult children .there was none left they all loved it. So a big hi 5 to you guys for a fantastic recipe.
A family winner – we love hearing that, Jo! 🙂
I am trying this recipe for the first time, and after marinating overnight, I noticed that the marinade, including the reserved portion, has hardened. Is that normal? Should I heat the reserved portion before serving?
Anna, if you let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes prior to cooking, it should return to normal.
No worries – Anything (marinades, salad dressings, etc. made with good quality olive oil are going to firm up/solidify in the fridge. Perfectly normal, it’ll liquefy again at room temp. You can set the container with your reserved marinade in warm water to speed up the process if you want As far as flank steak or any other thin cut of beef goes, I actually like to put it on a very hot grill while it’s still cold – that lets me get a better sear while not cooking through as quickly. You could also sous vide the meat to 120 or so and then sear at the very end.
That was damn good!
Even damn delicious as some might say! 🙂
I didn’t have cilantro, so I was bummed about that, but this recipe turned out amazing! Definitely will make again and I’ll make sure to use cilantro. Made steak bowls out of these. 🙂 Thanks!
What a great way to use this recipe, Lisa!