Carne Asada

Method

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1. Look at the steak and note which way the fibres run.

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2. Mix the lime and orange juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, pepper, oil, jalapeño and coriander.

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3. Turn the steak through it and marinate 1 hour at room temperature. No longer — the acid starts to cure it.

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4. Lift the steak out, wipe most of the marinade off and season heavily with the salt.

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5. Heat a charcoal grill or a griddle pan until it is too hot to hold a hand over.

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6. Grill 3 minutes on the first side without moving it.

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7. Turn and grill 3 minutes more, for medium rare.

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8. Rest on a warm plate for 8 minutes.

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9. Slice thinly across the grain you identified at the start.

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10. Serve with lime wedges and the resting juices poured over.

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Chef’s Tips

• Across the grain, always. Nothing else matters as much.
• One hour in the marinade, not overnight.
• Rest eight minutes before the knife goes near it.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• Warm corn tortillas
• Pico de gallo
• Grilled spring onions

Storage & Reheating

Keeps 2 days refrigerated and is very good cold in a torta.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.