Cumin and Chile Marinated Skirt Steak

By:

Mary Sue Milliken

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Updated:

2016-03-26 22:51:59

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There’s nothing like a properly grilled, well-marbled piece of skirt steak. This recipe’s marinated skirt steak is filled with the flavor of cumin and serrano chile, making it an entree that doesn’t need much accompaniment.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 4 hours marination

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

1/3 cup cumin seeds

6 serrano chiles

6 cloves garlic

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 bunches cilantro

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 pounds skirt steak

Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a dry medium skillet over low heat just until their aroma is released, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the seeds to a blender.
Cut the serranos in half and seed them, if desired.
Peel the garlic cloves.
Add the serranos, garlic, and lime juice to the blender.
Puree until the cumin seeds are finely ground.
Add the cilantro, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
Puree until smooth.
Trim the skirt steak of excess fat and cut it into 6 serving pieces.
Generously sprinkle the steak all over with salt and pepper.
Generously brush all over with the cumin-seed marinade.
Roll each piece of steak into a cylinder.
Arrange the rolled steaks in a shallow pan.
Pour on the remaining marinade.
Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or as long as a day.
About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the meat from the refrigerator.
Unroll the steaks and place on a platter.
Preheat the grill or broiler to very hot.
Cook the steaks just until seared on both sides, about 4 minutes per side for medium rare.

Or pan-fry in a hot cast-iron skillet lightly coated with oil.
Transfer to a cutting board and slice across the grain into diagonal strips.
Serve hot.

About This Article

About the book author:

Mary Sue Milliken may be “a gringa from the Midwest,” but she fell deeply in love with Mexican food when first introduced to it more than 20 years ago. She and fellow chef Susan Feniger became friends in the late ’70s while working in the otherwise all-male kitchen of a prestigious French restaurant in Chicago called Le Perroquet. After honing their skills in fine restaurants in France and America, they opened their first restaurant, the highly celebrated City Café, in Los Angeles in 1981. These days, they divide their time between their three restaurants, Border Grills in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, and the upscale Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles. They also have authored five previous cookbooks, including Mexican Cooking For Dummies, host the popular Television Food Network series, Too Hot Tamales, and are heard regularly on Southern California radio.

Susan Feniger may be “ a gringa from the Midwest,” but she fell deeply in love with Mexican food when first introduced to it more than 20 years ago. She and fellow chef Mary Sue Milliken became friends in the late ’70s while working in the otherwise all-male kitchen of a prestigious French restaurant in Chicago called Le Perroquet. After honing their skills in fine restaurants in France and America, they opened their first restaurant, the highly celebrated City Café, in Los Angeles in 1981. These days, they divide their time between their three restaurants, Border Grills in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, and the upscale Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles. They also have authored five previous cookbooks, including Mexican Cooking For Dummies, host the popular Television Food Network series, Too Hot Tamales, and are heard regularly on Southern California radio.

Helene Siegel is the co-author of City Cuisine, Mesa Mexicana, Cooking with the Too Hot Tamales, and Mexican Cooking For Dummies. She also is the author of The Ethnic Kitchen series and 32 single subject cookbooks in the best-selling Totally Cookbook series. Her articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Times Syndicate, Fine Cooking, and on the Web at cuisinenet.com.

This article can be found in the category:

Mexican Recipes