Carne Asada Recipe

Carne asada is a constant in my household, even if it's not Taco Tuesday. My recipe borrows from preparations I have had in the past, at restaurants, from home cooks, and from my father's method. He always charred the meat, which created essential crispy bites for contrast. You can make this with any meat you like, including fancier cuts, but skirt steak will yield the best results. Whichever cut you choose, carne asada night is always a celebration.

One of the things I love about carne asada is how universally beloved it is. It will make my kid, me, and my grandmother just as happy as someone with no personal connection to Latin America. Since it always feels celebratory, it can transform a bleak evening into a taco night. Making it will easily cheer up my husband, whose family hails from the North of Mexico and uses flour tortillas instead of my preferred corn (yes, we are a house divided by tortillas).

To make your carne asada night the best it can be, here are my top tips:— If you can't find Mexican oregano, you can substitute any other variety.— I strongly prefer corn tortillas, but flour tortillas will work if you prefer.— The marinade is a great way to use citrus like Cuties taking up space in your fruit bowl.

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

bunch fresh cilantro, leaves separated, stems reserved

whole dried chiles, such as chiles de árbol and/or pasilla chiles

cloves garlic

Juice of 1 orange or 2 tangerines

extra-virgin olive oil or neutral oil

garlic powder

lemon pepper seasoning

onion powder

Mexican oregano

limes, divided

skirt steak or flank steak

corn tortillas

white onion, finely chopped

avocado, sliced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Salsa, for serving

Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Writer at Food & Wine and a freelancer who writes about restaurants and develops recipes. She hosts The Food That Binds, an industry podcast about food and relationships. Her work has appeared in The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, National Geographic, Serious Eats, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. She was born in Rio de Janeiro and raised in Atlanta, where she currently lives. She is a graduate of Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta and Cordon Bleu at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.

Personal website: www.jenniferzyman.com.

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