Skirt Steak Tacos with Guacamole

Summer is upon us, and with it- grilling season. I love just about anything off the grill. Roasted vegetables, chicken, buttery vidalia onions, kebabs... I could probably list items forever. One my favorite items is the seriously underrated skirt steak. Its economical, easy to cook, lean and grills beautifully. I like to pick some up and make tacos out of them. Again, it's very easy and is a big crowd pleaser.

If you have been keeping abreast of my entries, you'd know I enjoy a good marinade because of the amount of flavor you can pack into your dish. my favorite way to marinate skirt steak, particularly for tacos is simply with some citrus, a bit of garlic, cumin, and cilantro. Simple flavors.

First things first, I place my steaks in a bowl, drizzled a little bit of olive oil over them, because it helps the spices stick. I sprinkled some salt, pepper, cumin and the minced garlic over them and rubbed all the seasoning in.

I topped this off with citrus juice. You can use any and all citrus you have in the house. I generally use lemon and lime juice, though orange would be good too.


Zest from the citrus is excellent too, it smells wonderful and a little goes a long way. Roll your lemons or limes on your counter or work surface, it helps release the juice.


Zest them first, and then squeeze the juice out of them being careful to avoid getting the seeds in your food. You can do with or without the crushed garlic. I add garlic to everything, so I used some. You can also add some red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. You will want to marinate this for at least an hour or two before grilling, so the meat tenderizes and absorbs all the different flavors.

I grilled these on my stove top grill, though obviously a real grill would be great. About 10 minutes on each side should suffice if you like your steak medium rare. Grill it until the outside is charred and the center is cooked to your liking.


When you remove it from the grill, it's important that you let it rest for a few minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. It will also be softer if you let it rest properly.


Once the steaks were grilled, and had time to rest, they were sliced and the tacos were assembled. I used hard taco shells, shredded cheddar cheese (though pepper jack would also be excellent), and some mixed greens on top of the sliced steak in my tacos.


I served them with some homemade guacamole, the recipe is below:

Guacamole
This guacamole is the perfect accompaniment for the tacos. I can't overstate how much better guacamole is if you keep it simple. I like to go with the basics: lime juice, cilantro, and a little bit of garlic for sharpness.

I like to use Haas avocados because they have a creamy richness that I haven't detected in other avocados. Right after I slice them open, I always drizzle a little bit of lime juice on them, because I don't want them to oxidize and turn brown. Brown guac is not very appetizing.

After the avocados have been scooped out of their husks, I added a handful of chopped cilantro, more lime juice, salt, pepper and minced garlic. If you find that your avocados are a bit under ripe, you can add some olive oil to smooth it out.


Use a fork to mash the avocado, you can keep it as smooth or as chunky as you like. Garnish with some cilantro and lime and you're done! You can add chopped tomatoes, or a spoonful of salsa, but the most important thing is to keep it simple and let the nutty taste of the avocados shine through.

*A helpful tip. If you want to store any leftover guacamole, put it in a ziplock bag and squeeze out as much air as possible- this will keep it from turning brown in the refrigerator.