Grapefruit Marinated Fajitas

Beef, Cinco de Mayo, Citrus, Grapefruit, Mexican & TexMex, On the grill, Tacos, Enchiladas & Quesadillas

Grapefruit Marinated Fajitas

Most Friday nights, you’ll find us on the back patio, margaritas in hand, listening to the sizzle of fajitas on the grill. And for the 6 weeks out of the year that it’s too cold to grill, you’ll find us at one of our favorite Tex Mex restaurants, trying to talk over the sizzling order of fajitas in front of us.

I’m a beef fajita girl all the way. My husband prefers chicken. And when the server brings our orders, he or she always tries to hand me the chicken. NEVER fails 🙂

I love my fajitas flame-kissed, slightly salty, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Being in full-blown winter citrus (read: grapefruit) mode, I swapped out the usual orange juice in our favorite marinade for equal parts grapefruit and lime juices. A generous pinch of salt, some pepper, and olive oil later, we had a marinade worthy for grilling fajitas in 70+ degree weather in mid-January.

The acid in the grapefruit and lime juices can tenderize just about anything you throw at it – I happened to have a bargain cut of cube steak that came off the grill every bit as good as pricey flank or skirt steaks. There’s no real overwhelming grapefruit flavor in the cooked steak but there is a hint of the tart citrus.

We serve our fajitas piled high with sliced avocado, grilled onions and peppers, cilantro, sour cream (er, fat-free greek yogurt), and chopped fresh jalapenos.

And after typing all that, I’m totally excited about the leftover fajitas tonight 🙂

Grapefruit Marinated Fajitas

Tender beef fajitas marinated with grapefruit and lime juices.

Ingredients

  • For the marinade:
  • 1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 lb beef (I used cube steak, flank or skirt are ideal)
  • For the grilled vegetables:
  • 1 large white or yellow onion
  • 1-2 large bell peppers
  • 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
  • For serving:
  • 8 small tortillas
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1 small handful cilantro leaves
  • 1 jalapeno, sliced thinly
  • 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt

Instructions

  1. In a large zip-top bag, add the grapefruit and lime juices, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Close tightly and squeeze the ingredients together.
  2. Add beef, close, and refrigerate for 4 hours, up to overnight.
  3. Preheat grill to high.
  4. Slice onion in half, and then slice into thin wedges. Place in a large bowl.
  5. Remove stems and seeds from the bell pepper and cut into 1/4-inch strips.
  6. Add to the onions and toss with olive oil until well-coated.
  7. Spread onions and peppers in a single layer on a grill pan (or use a large piece of foil, folded in half for stability, placed directly onto the grates of your grill) and cook until they soften and are browned (15-20 minutes).
  8. Put the steak on the grill and sear 4-5 minutes on each side. (You might wish to cook yours longer, 4-5 minutes is usually enough to still leave a nice pink strip through the thickest part of the steak).
  9. Remove from heat and let rest 10 minutes before cutting.
  10. Cut into thin slices, against the grain, and serve on tortillas with preferred toppings.

Notes

Yields: 4 servings (enough for 8 fajitas)

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 5 hours

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