Flank steak tacos with perfectly seared, medium-rare beef topped with an irresistibly tangy pico verde. Serve on charred corn tortillas with at least one beer or margarita!
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday or Just Plain LIFE with these juicy flank steak tacos and pico verde.
For the longest time I thought you needed to own a grill to enjoy flank steak. Fake news!
Which means it doesn’t need to be grilling weather either! So. Much. Winning.
All you need is a big cast iron skillet and a good meat thermometer. This cut of meat cooks up quick so the thermometer is key. Overcooked flank steak tends to be tough. You’ll want to remove it from your skillet at 130°F because it will continue to cook while it’s resting.
Also, get the biggest skillet you can find. Because you can never have enough perfectly seared flank steak in the house.
Believe me, you will want more the next day. If not sooner.
I love Mexican food. And utterly adore tacos. Your standard-issue ground beef tacos have been a favorite in this house since forever. So, please, don’t take this as a dig at the classic, O G taco when I say these flank steak tacos, especially with this uniquely delicious pico verde, are simply in a league all their own.
They’re playing a completely different game. And they’re crushing it.
There are three elements to this recipe that make these tacos stand out from the crowd.
The Marinade
The beef is marinated in…basically…a margarita. So all those things you love about a good margarita? The tang of the limes mingled with the salty rim. Triple sec’s sweet citrusy notes harmonizing with señor tequila’s bawdy, agave-laced melody. It’s all in the steak. Plus, it’s STEAK!
The Pico
This pico verde is not merely pico de gallo made with tomatillos instead of red tomatoes. It’s so much better than that, mamasita. There are also cucumbers, scallions, and even capers in there! Not to mention fresh herbs. Tangy, crispy and oh-so-fresh the pico really brings these tacos to life. The key to success here is dicing all the ingredients to pretty much the same size.
The Charred Corn Tortillas
Just lay a tortilla over the burner on your stove and let the flame flirt with it. You need to chaperone them though because left too long to their own devices things tend to…ignite. It’s not just about the char flavor this brings to the table, although that’s reason enough to do it. But it also slightly changes the texture of the tortilla. Puffing it up a bit and making it a little less dense.
And there you go. This recipe feeds a crowd so don’t hesitate to invite the troops over and dazzle them with your taco skillz! Any leftover flank steak will be great in a salad or between two slices of good bread. Leftover pico verde is insane on eggs.
Need one more taco recipe before you go?
Pan-Asian Shrimp Tacos with Cabbage and Apple Slaw
More Mexican-Inspired Goodness from Mid-Life Croissant
Spicy Chipotle Cauliflower Rice
- 2 1/2 pounds flank steak
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup tequila
- 2 Tablespoons triple sec
- 2 limes, zest of one, juice of both
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 5 small tomatillos, finely chopped
- 6 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced very thinly
- 1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, then minced
- 1 medium cucumber (unpeeled) finely chopped
- juice of two limes (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 Tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons italian flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
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Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Place steak in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade into it. Seal bag and massage marinade around the meat to coat it.
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Let marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours up to overnight.
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Combine all pico ingredients in serving bowl. Taste and salt, if necessary. You may find the capers make it salty enough.
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Drizzle with olive oil.
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In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high flame, melt about one Tablespoon of ghee (or your preferred fat.)
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Remove steak from marinade and pat dry with a clean paper towel.
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Place in skillet and brown on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Then flip it and insert meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat.
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Cook until steak reaches an internal temperature of 130°F.
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Remove to cutting board and let rest, tented with foil, for at least five minutes.
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Cut on the bias into strips and serve with charred tortillas and pico verde.
- Calorie info is approximate and will vary with some ingredients and exact serving size.
- Marination time is not included in timing of this recipe.
- Sometimes, with a particularly thick steak, I'll flip it back onto its original side before it's cooked through so it cooks evenly on both sides.
This recipe was inspired by the Margarita Marinated Skirt Steak at Fine Cooking, the Pico de Gallo Verde at Bon Appétit, and I picked up the tip about charring your tortillas at Foodness Gracious.
Paige Dickerson says
May 4, 2017 at 1:03 pmSays serves 12 people – but how many tacos per serving? Thanks!
Christine says
May 4, 2017 at 2:37 pmHi Paige. How many tacos sorta depends on how much meat you put in each taco but with 40 ounces of meat (2 1/2 lbs) 12 people could have 1 taco each with about 3.3 ounces of meat on it.
Julie says
April 20, 2017 at 9:31 pmThese are some amazing looking tacos. Rare flank steak is just the best and so flavorful when cooked correctly like you’ve done here and I love the tip about the charred tortillas!
Christine says
April 24, 2017 at 5:48 amThanks, Julie. I was excited to learn about the charred tortillas, too. Such a nice flavor boost with the added bonus of looking even more appetizing than usual!
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
April 11, 2017 at 8:54 pmThese look so delicious! You really can’t go wrong with steak tacos!
Christine says
April 12, 2017 at 7:13 amSo true.
Michelle - Giraffes Can Bake says
April 5, 2017 at 10:54 amI’ve never been very good at cooking steak, but I NEED to try these! They just look too good!
Christine says
April 5, 2017 at 11:20 amWell, I recently realized I’ve been cooking it all wrong. And not using a meat thermometer. That is really the key. Let me know how it goes!