It’s Taco Tuesday!
To be honest, I am rarely on top of things enough to actually have tacos on Tuesdays, but I love the idea!
Tacos are such a great weeknight meal because they can be made hundreds of different ways, serve a family easily, and are a bit more fun than your standard chicken and veggies weeknight meal. We love them.
These steak tacos are just one of the many, many ways we enjoy tacos. We usually save red meat for the weekends or special dinners, but flank steak is an extremely flavorful and lean cut and it works great in meals like this. Especially when you marinate it for several hours!
I like to do flank marinades like this overnight. The flavor is insane and it also tenderizes the meat a ton, but if you forget to do this the night before, the marinade takes a few minutes to whip together in the morning before work. I promise. I’ve done it this way myself many times.
One thing my mom always did with her flank steak marinade was to make it in large batches and divide it into containers for the freezer. Any time we were going to have flank steak, she would pull one of her nifty pre-made marinade containers out of the fridge and let it defrost. Easiest prep ever.
After the steak marinates, we cook it simply and quickly in the broiler. You can, of course, grill your steak. I usually do this, but the last few times I’ve done it under the broiler, it tasted just as good. It’s also crazy easy. No lighting a grill or preheating it or cleaning the grates. SO EASY. It literally takes minutes to cook an entire flank steak. I also find that broiling it cooks it more evenly than the grill does (no hot spots). You get a perfect medium/medium-rare doneness throughout the whole steak.
The marinade itself has some spicy heat, thanks to chile-garlic paste, and some salty tang and a touch of sweetness. It’s almost like making your perfectly balanced salad dressing. You want some sweet, some tang, and some salt. All balanced out. That’s how I often think about marinades, and usually, it works!
After the steak marinates and then cooks, you let it rest and then thinly slice it against the grain. The flavor and tenderness factors are out of this world. It’s SUCH a great cut of meat, and is completely nostalgic for me, since it was ALWAYS our special occasion meal of choice growing up. We had my mom’s special flank steak for every single birthday growing up. True story. So, whenever I make it, it feels extra special. Even if it’s just a regular ol’ Tuesday night.
I like to top my tacos (no matter the kind) with something crunchy and bright. Usually a slaw! This slaw is made up of crunchy cabbage, carrots, apples, and jicama. Jicama is such a refreshingly crunchy veggie to put in your slaws, people. If you’ve never had it, it reminds me of a water chestnut but with a touch more moisture. It’s just as refreshing as biting into a perfectly ripe and juicy apple. I love it. Especially in slaws like this.
Because the steak itself has so much flavor, I keep the dressing for the slaw really simple. A little creamy and little tangy from fresh lime and a teensy bit sweet from some honey. I also like to add in some chopped cilantro for extra freshness, but this is totally optional for all you cilantro haters. You can definitely leave it out or sub in parsley instead. The slaw is so simple but oh so good. It cuts the richness of the beef really well.
And because I can’t ever eat a taco without some avocado, I add that on top too! With an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice – it totally makes them. It brings out all the flavors! My husband doesn’t love citrus, and whenever he’s not looking, I squeeze lime juice over his tacos too. Shhh. Don’t tell. He loves it.
I can’t get enough tacos. I don’t think I’ll EVER tire of them.
All that’s missing is a good salty-rimmed margarita!
Spicy Flank Steak Tacos with Jicama-Apple Slaw
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Celebrate Taco Tuesday with these Spicy Flank Steak Tacos with Jicama-Apple Slaw! A spicy-sweet marinade flavors and tenderizes the steak to perfection and a quick and bright slaw balances out the richness of the steak. No matter which night of the week it is, I’ll take these tacos! They’re simple but incredibly flavorful!
Ingredients
For the Flank Steak:
- 3 tablespoons chili-garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 (2-lb) flank steak, roughly 1 inch thick
For the Slaw:
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped (parsley would also work great)
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Drizzle of honey (or to taste)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1 apple, cut into matchsticks
- 1 jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
For the Tacos:
- Corn or flour tortillas, warmed or toasted
- Sliced avocado
- Lime wedges
- Additional fresh herbs
Instructions
For the Steak:
- In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, whisk together the chile-garlic paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and canola oil.
- Season the steak with salt and pepper and then place it in the marinade, turning it to ensure both sides are coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. If possible, flip the steak at least once during the marination time to ensure both sides are evenly marinating.
- Remove the steak from the fridge at least 30 minutes before you are ready to cook it.
- Preheat the broiler to high and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Remove the steak from the marinade, allowing the excess to drip off and place on the baking sheet.
- Broil for 5 minutes per side for medium/medium-rare doneness.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes before slicing for the tacos.
For the Slaw:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the lime zest and juice, cilantro, mayo, yogurt, vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Add in the cilantro, cabbage, carrot, apple, and jicama.
- Toss to evenly coat.
To Serve:
Toast or warm the tortillas and then fill with slices of the steak and the slaw. Top with avocado slices and squeeze over fresh lime juice. Serve!
Notes
My oven broils steak to medium/medium-rare doneness at 5 minutes per side, but your oven may differ. Start with 4 minutes per side for a 2-lb steak and check it before adding more time. Better to be safe than have an overcooked steak!
- Prep Time: 4 hours (mostly inactive time)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: tacos
Keywords: steak tacos, marinated steak, steak marinade, taco recipes, spicy steak tacos, jicama apple slaw, flank steak tacos
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
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