Everything tastes better on a stick. These fiery beef skewers are bathed in a sriracha and lime-infused marinade that tenderizes and flavors the meat, while a vibrant, herbaceous chile salsa provides a fresh accompaniment for swiping and dipping the meat. If you are feeling a little lazy, the meat can also be grilled in large pieces on the grill, without skewering, and served with the sauce on the side. Allow the meat to rest for about five minutes before slicing into serving pieces. Pair with La Calera Bonarda from Mendoza.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Marinade:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons Sriracha
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 2 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut against the grain in 1-inch strips
Salsa:
2 poblano chile peppers, stemmed and seeded, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño chile pepper, stemmed and seeded, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups (packed) cilantro sprigs
1 cup (packed) Italian parsley sprigs
1/2 cup (packed) mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
Bamboo skewers, pre-soaked for at least 30 minutes
Directions
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the steak strips in a re-sealable plastic bag. Pour in the marinade, seal the bag, and turn to coat the meat. Place in a bowl and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
Make the salsa: Place the peppers and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the cilantro, parsley, mint, lime juice, cumin, and salt and process to coarsely blend. Add the oil, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and pulse until the sauce is the consistency of a chunky salsa. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if desired.
Remove the steak from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Thread the strips on pre-soaked bamboo skewers and discard the marinade.
Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (or preheat the oven broiler). If using a grill, arrange the skewers perpendicular to the grill grates over direct heat and grill until charred and cooked to your desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat, turning as needed. If broiling, arrange on a broiler pan and broil until lightly charred and cooked to your desired doneness, turning once. Serve with the green chile sauce.
Lynda Balslev is an award winning writer, recipe developer, and cookbook author currently based in the San Francisco Bay area. She studied cooking in Paris and remained in Europe for 16 years, while living in Switzerland, England, and Denmark, where she learned that the best way to immerse oneself in a new culture was at the kitchen table. When she is not writing about food and wine through the lens of the travel, she writes about travel and culture through the lens of food and wine. Either way, it’s a win-win, and she looks forward to her next trip.