Fajita Marinade

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My fajita marinade has just right combination of savory liquid smoke, Tex-Mex seasonings, and perky lime. I love whipping up this quick zesty fajita marinade and then allowing steak, chicken, or seafood to soak in it throughout the day. Then dinner is a snap to throw in a skillet and sizzle up some fajita veggies!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Resting Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex

Servings: Fajitas

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Sommer Collier

Ingredients

For the Marinade –

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice + 1 teaspoon lime zest
¼ cup water
1 ½ tablespoon ancho chile powder
2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon liquid smoke mesquite or hickory
4-6 cloves garlic smashed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Fajitas –

2-3 pounds steak chicken, and/or seafood
3 bell peppers seeded and sliced into ½ inch strips
1 large onion peeled and sliced into ½ inch strips
2 tablespoons butter or oil
12 tortillas
Garnishes: lime wedges pico de gallo, sour cream, avocado, shredded cheese, etc.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Set out a small bowl or measuring pitcher. Combine the olive oil, fresh lime juice and lime zest, water, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, liquid smoke, smashed garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Whisk well.
Place the protein in a baking dish (or a large zip bag). Pour the marinade over the top of the protein. Wiggle it around in the marinade to make sure it's coated on all sides. Then cover the baking dish and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour for steak and chicken, but the longer the better. But 30-60 minutes for seafood.
When ready to cook, place a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Once melted, shake the marinade off the meat and place it in the skillet. Sear thin cuts of steak for 1-2 minutes per side. Sear thicker cuts of steak over an inch for 3-5 minutes per side. Cook chicken pieces for 5-6 minutes per side. If cooking seafood, sear for 1-2 minutes per side.
Move the protein out of the skillet and allow it to rest. Scrape the bottom of the skillet if needed, and add an additional tablespoon of butter. One melted, add the sliced bell peppers and onions to the skillet. Sear the peppers and onions, stirring, for about 3-5 minutes.
Once the meat has rested for at least 5 minutes, slice thin against the grain, and mixed back into the skillet with the vegetables.
Serve the fajitas with tortillas and fajita garnishes. Or scoop over mixed greens in service fajita salad!

Video

Notes

The fajita marinade itself will keep well for several days or even up to a week stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge.

Once the marinade has been used to cook, the marinated meat stores very well and is great for leftovers! Steak and chicken will still be flavorful for up to 4 days in the fridge, seafood should be kept for only 2-3 days max. The peppers and onions can be kept in the same container, but note that they'll start to soften almost immediately, and will be leaning on the soggy side just after a few days.

You can freeze the seared cooked meat for up 3 months by first sealing it tightly in a plastic ziploc bag. However, I do not recommend trying to freeze the veggies! They don't hold up well to freezing, thawing, and reheating. I simply sear fresh peppers and onions when I'm reheating the meat to make fajitas.

Nutrition