Flank steak tacos use a lean cut of beef, tenderized with a chipotle chili-lime marinade, as taco filling in soft tortillas, topped with shredded lettuce and pineapple salsa.
Our family loves steak. We don't eat it often due to cost and health considerations. But once in a while, it's a nice treat, like this flank steak tacos.
Flank steak is a cut of meat from the abdominal area of a cow, a muscle that gets a lot of use, so it has more tough fibrous tissue and less fat. Flank steak benefits from acidic marinades, which help break down fibrous tissue and tenderizes the meat.
Most marinades don't penetrate more than a few millimeters into the meat, so give it at least one hour in the marinade for the acidic juices to break down the fibrous tissue. After about 12 hours, there isn't much more tenderizing or flavoring that will happen.
In addition to marinating the meat, flank steak shouldn't be cooked more than medium rare. That makes this a quick-cooking cut of meat. Just five to six minutes on each side, and it's done.
It's essential to let the meat sit for at least ten minutes after cooking to rest. If you cut it immediately, all of the juices in the meat will run out onto your cooking board, and leave you with tough, dry meat. All of the work marinating and cooking just to medium rare will be for nothing.
We loves these flank steak tacos served with minimal toppings, just shredded romaine lettuce and pineapple salsa. Pineapple salsa isn't common in stores, so you can make your own if you choose, or use another kind.
Chipotle Lime Flank Steak Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 ½ lbs flank steak
- 8 taco-sized flour tortillas
- Shredded lettuce, for topping
- Pineapple salsa, for topping
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the lime juice and mix into a paste.
- Place the flank steak in a shallow dish, and rub the pasta all over the steak on both sides. Cover the dish and let the steak marinate for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours (refrigerate if marinating more than 1 hour).
- When ready to cook, if steak was refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler to high.
- Line the bottom of a broiler pan (or a sheet pan) with tinfoil. Spray the top of the broiler pan (or a wire rack that fits inside a sheet pan) with nonstick spray and place the steak on top. Cook under the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your steak, then flip and cook on the second side another 4 to 6 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the broiler and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Place the steak on a cutting board so that the muscle fibers run horizontally. Slice the steak perpendicular to the fibers into thin strips.
- Place a few strips of steak on each tortilla, top with shredded lettuce and pineapple salsa, and serve.
Adapted from Cat Cora
Discover more #SundaySupper Lean Beef Recipes!
Appetizers, Soups, and Salads
- Baked Kibbeh with Yogurt Sauce by Food Lust People Love
- Italian Wedding Soup by Hardly A Goddess
- Lighter Tex-Mex Albondigas Soup by The Weekend Gourmet
- Steak Taco Salad Wonton Cups by Caroline’s Cooking
- Thai Steak Salad with Noodles by Positively Stacey
- Warm Steak Salad by Food Done Light
Lean Ground Beef Recipes
- Cheeseburger Stew by Our Good Life
- Cheesesteak Bruschetta by The Food Hunter’s Guide to Cuisine
- Clean Eating Sloppy Joes by A Mind “Full” Mom
- Old Fashioned Porcupine Meatballs by Turnips 2 Tangerines
- Smothered Hamburger Steaks by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
- Spaghetti Squash with Chili by Recipes Food and Cooking
Mains
- BBQ Filet Beef Tips by The Freshman Cook
- Beef Broccoli Pasta by Wholistic Woman
- Beef Ddukboki (Non-Spicy Sautéed Korean Rice Cakes) by kimchi MOM
- Beef Steak Fajitas by Asian In America
- Beef Vegetable Stir-Fry by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Skinny Beef Enchiladas with Creamy Avocado Sauce by Mindy’s Cooking Obsession
Sandwiches and Wraps
- Asian Steak Lettuce Wraps by The Chef Next Door
- My Big Lean Greek Beef Wrap by Go Epicurista
- Slow Cooker Tuscan French Dips by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Spicy Beef Lettuce Wraps by Pies and Plots
- Spicy Beef Tacos by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Steak and Eggs Wraps by Eat, Drink and be Tracy
Steaks
- Baked Chicken Fried Steak by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
- Chile Lime Flank Steak Tacos by The Redhead Baker (recipe above)
- Filet Mignon with Roasted Vegetable Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Flank Steak Roulades by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Flank Steak with Chimichurri by Monica’s Table
- Roasted Garlic Sirloin Steak with Rosemary by Cooking Chat
- Swiss Steak by Palatable Pastime
Wendy
Monday 16th of January 2017
Perfect for my next taco Tuesday