Inspired by popular Mexican street foods, our crowd-pleasing recipes for Cilantro Lime Carne Asada, Elote (Mexican Street Corn) and Charred Onion and Cabbage Slaw feature fresh, simple ingredients and is perfect for al-fresco dining.
Serves: 4
Difficulty: moderate
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Non-active time: 4-24 hours
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Carne Asada
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 T garlic
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 T ground cumin
1/2 T ground coriander
2 T chipotle chilies in adobo
8 oz can green chilies
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 1/2 T salt
1/2 T black pepper
1/2 c olive oil
1 1/2 lb skirt steak
Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
4 ears corn, in husk
3 T butter
pinch chili powder (optional)
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 c cotija cheese, crumbled (more or less to taste)
cilantro leaves
Charred Onion and Cabbage Slaw
1 white onion, peeled and halved
1 bunch green onions
1/2 head green cabbage, quartered, core left intact
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper, to taste
1 sm red onion, diced fine
3 T fresh lime juice
1/4 c cilantro leaves
Steps
Cilantro Lime Carne Asada
Place all ingredients except olive oil and beef in a food processor and work into a paste. Add oil and puree. Place beef in a zip top plastic bag with half of marinade (refrigerate remaining marinade for serving). Refrigerate steak in marinade for 4 hours or overnight. To prepare, preheat grill on high. Remove steak from marinade and grill over high heat 7-10 min, turning often. Remove from heat and let rest 10 min. Slice against the grain at a diagonal bias and serve with remaining marinade/sauce (warmed to room temp), Charred Onion and Cabbage Slaw, and Elote (Mexican Street Corn).
Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
Remove outer layers of corn husk, leaving 2-3 complete layers around corn to protect from grill heat. Grill over high heat until softened, turning often, approx. 10 min. Remove husk when cool enough to handle. Melt butter with chili powder, salt and pepper. Pour over corn. Generously sprinkle with cotija and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.
Charred Onion and Cabbage Slaw
Toss white onion, green onions and cabbage with a few tablespoons of olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper and grill on all sides until softened and charred well. Green onions will cook very quickly, approx. 2 min. White onion and cabbage need approx. 8-10 min to soften. Remove from heat and, when cool enough to handle, roughly chop green onions, cabbage (remove core) and white onion. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings.
