Recipe: La Mulita’s Chimichurri Skirt-Steak Tacos

Reinventing traditional tailgating fare.
Head Chef Ricardo Martinez whips up authentic Latin street food at La Mulita, the casual, cantina-style sister restaurant of Delicia. But when he’s not churning out another beloved Mexicano dog (wrapped in bacon and swiped with chipotle mayo), you’ll find him indulging in this back-of-the-house favorite brimming with bold flavors. Just in time for football season, Martinez divulges a foolproof tailgating recipe that La Mulita staffers can’t get enough of: chimichurri skirt-steak tacos.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 3 pounds skirt steak
  •  ½ cup olive oil
  •  ½ cup chopped cilantro
  •  ½ teaspoon salt
  •  1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  •  1 whole jalapeño

Salsa

  • 1 diced jalapeño (remove seeds)
  • ½ cup white-wine vinegar
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • ¼ cup diced yellow onion
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 12 to 14 white-corn tortillas

Directions

Marinating the skirt steak

  1. Place olive oil, cilantro, salt, pepper, one whole jalapeño, and skirt steak into a Ziploc bag. (For subtle heat, cut a V-shape in the bottom of the jalapeño and leave it whole. To add more heat, chop the jalapeño and remove the seeds.)
  2. Make sure the meat is completely covered in the marinade.
  3. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Making the chimichurri salsa

  1. Place diced jalapeño pepper, white-wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, cilantro, parsley, yellow onion, salt, and pepper into blender or food processor for 25 seconds.
  2. Add olive oil and pulse again for 20 seconds.

Grilling the skirt steak

  1. Allow skirt steak to come to room temperature before grilling.
  2. Put the grill on medium heat and cook the steak for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare.
  3. Allow steak to rest 5 minutes before slicing.
  4. Slice steak as thinly as possible.

Preparing the tortillas

  1. Turn off your grill and let cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Rub grill with a light amount of olive oil.
  3. Place tortilla on the grill long enough for it to become warm and pliable.
  4. Keep tortillas warm by wrapping them in a linen napkin or towel.
  5. To assemble, fill a tortilla with sliced steak and top with chimichurri salsa.

Makes 12 to 16 four-inch tacos