This Mexican carne asada marinade calls for just 4 ingredients (including skirt steak) and is packed with flavor, tenderizing the meat in 20 minutes. It makes the best Mexican skirt steak marinade not only for grilling but also for sautéing, slow cooking, pressure cooking, baking, meal prep, and more.
Who is up for one of the best marinated skirt steaks ever? With a mixture of taco seasoning, olive oil, and lime juice, you can make this quick and easy carne asada marinade recipe in less than 5 minutes.
Then, marinade skirt steak in a sealed plastic bag for just 20 minutes and cook it for up to 5-6 minutes.
The result is a tender and juicy skirt steak ready to be served in 30 minutes, making a hassle-free dinner or weeknight meal.
You can use it as the main ingredient for carne asada tacos, steak quesadillas, burritos, steak and eggs, and many more dishes.
If you would like to vary the marinade once and a while, check out these 5 steak marinade recipes.
What’s carne asada?
Carne asada is a Spanish term that meaning is literally roasted beef (‘carne’ means beef and ‘asada’ means roasted).
But in Mexico, the traditional carne asada recipe requires the steak to be grilled on a charcoal grill instead of roasted in the oven.
Although Mexican carne asada recipes usually call for either skirt steak or flank steak, you may also use sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, or rib steak as alternatives.
You can simply season the steak with salt and pepper or marinate before cooking. It develops a gently charred and crispy exterior and a tender, juicy interior.
Mexican Skirt Steak Marinade Recipe
Although you can use other cuts of beef to marinade and make carne asada, my favorite beef cut is still skirt steak because it has some marbling (while flank steak is leaner) and is cheaper than other cuts such as sirloin steak and a tenderloin steak. It also marinates quicker than those other meats!
Note the marinade for carne asada varies greatly from region to region in Mexico and there isn’t one sole authentic marinade.
Some steak marinades call for oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and lime juice, while others ask for more ingredients.
Our Mexican carne asada marinade requires only 3 ingredients: taco seasoning, olive oil, and lime juice. You’ll need to marinate the steak for 20 minutes maximum– otherwise, you’ll risk losing that savory meat flavor.
To prepare it, just mix all the 3 ingredients together in a large sealable plastic bag, toss the meat in, remove as much air as possible out of the bag, seal it, and let the steak sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
There is no need to refrigerate it because ours is a quick marinade. In fact, the steak will cook more evenly after resting for 20 minutes outside the fridge.
Other Meats for Carne Asada
The authentic Mexican carne asada often calls for skirt steak or flank steak. But you may use sirloin steak, tenderloin steak, or rib steak instead.
I prefer skirt steak over other cuts because it is tastier and more tender than flank steak yet inexpensive when compared with the other meats cited above.
Another advantage is skirt steak contains more marbling (streaks of fat) than flank steak (a leaner cut) which makes the meat more tender, taking less time to marinate.
But all the meats mentioned above make great grilled marinated carne asada.
How to Make Mexican Carne Asada Marinade & Cook Marinated Skirt Steak
- First, clean the skirt steak: Place it on a cutting board, remove the top fat and silver skin, top with a plastic sheet, and pound the meat with a mallet on both sides until it is about ¼-inch thick (0.5 cm). Slice the steak into 3 to 4 pieces to fit in into the skillet where it will cook. SEE PIC. 2
- Next, make the marinade: Combine the taco seasoning, olive oil, and lime juice in a large Ziploc bag and place the steak inside. Shake to combine! SEE PIC. 1
- Then, squeeze the air out of the bag, seal, and let the skirt steak marinate at room temp for 20 minutes maximum. If you marinate longer, the meat flavors may get lost.
- Remove the steak from the bag. Then dab to remove excess moisture from the marinade. This is so the steak can properly sear and get a nice brown crust.
- Cook the skirt steak either on a charcoal grill (preferred) or in a large cast-iron skillet or griddle. To cook it indoors, heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat for about 3-5 minutes or until super-hot and add the oil. It will shimmer! Place the steak(s) flat (do not overcrowd the pan), lower the heat to medium-high, and cook the steak for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until medium-rare (internal temp: 130 – 135°For 54-57°C). SEE PiC. 3
- Transfer the steak(s) to a plate and tent with foil. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes and squeeze the juice of a lime on top. Cut into thin slices against the grain. SEE PIC. 4
How to Store Mexican Carne Asada Marinade
For cooked skirt steak: store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2-3 months.
For raw skirt steak: Do not freeze raw skirt steak with the marinade. It will make the meat itself turn mushy because it will penetrate and break down the meat fibers quite a bit.
If freezing a steak marinade using another type of beef that is neither flank steak nor skirt teak, remove as much air as possible from the bag, seal it, and freeze the steak packs (steak with marinade for up to 3 months. It is one of those easy freezer recipes!
Let the marinade/steak thaw in the fridge completely (about 24 hours or more). Or to speed up the process, you can submerge the sealed steak pack in a bowl of cold water in the fridge until it’s fully thawed. When it is ready to cook, remove the steak from the marinade, discard the liquid, dab the steak, and let it rest on a plate for 20 minutes at room temp before cooking.
PIN & ENJOY!
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Mexican Carne Asada Marinade with Skirt Steak
Equipment
- Sealable plastic bag
- Cutting baord
- knife
- skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb skirt steak
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 oz taco seasoning 1 bag (see homemade recipe in the notes)
- ¼ cup lime juice
Instructions
- Place skirt steak on a cutting board, remove the top fat and silver skin, top with a plastic sheet, and pound the meat with a mallet on both sides until it is about ¼-inch thick (0.5 cm). Slice the steak into 3 to 4 pieces to fit in into the skillet where it will cook.
- Then, combine the taco seasoning, olive oil, and lime juice in a large Ziploc bag and place the steak inside. Shake to combine!
- Next, squeeze the air out of the bag, seal, and let the skirt steak marinate at room temp for 20 minutes maximum. If you marinate longer, the meat flavors may get lost.
- Remove the steak from the bag. Then dab to remove excess moisture from the marinade. This is so the steak can properly sear and get a nice brown crust.
- Cook the skirt steak either on a charcoal grill (preferred) or in a large cast-iron skillet or griddle. To cook it indoors, heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat for about 3-5 minutes or until super-hot and add the oil. It will shimmer! Place the steak(s) flat (do not overcrowd the pan), lower the heat to medium-high, and cook the steak for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until medium-rare (internal temp: 130 – 135°For 54-57°C).
- Transfer the steak(s) to a plate and tent with foil. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes and squeeze the juice of a lime on top. Cut into thin slices against the grain.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, garlic powder, and
- ½ tsp of onion powder
- ¼ tsp each of salt, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Raymund says
That skirt steak looks perfectly grilled. Look at that juices oozing out Yum!
Denise Browning says
Thank you a lot! Slirt steak is a fmaily favorite!
Autumn Brooke says
Such a simple recipe but it sounds wonderful!