Beef Fajitas with Peppers Recipe
Fajitas are strips of marinated beef quickly stir-fried with colorful bell peppers and onions, served with tortillas and toppings. In Mexico and along the US border it’s a popular dish for shared dinners – everyone fills their own tortilla with meat and vegetables. The flavor is like well-seasoned pan-fried beef with lightly charred peppers, something between a stew and a kebab, but without sauce.
Fajitas are the essence of relaxed, shared Tex-Mex eating – a pan of sizzling beef and peppers lands in the middle of the table and everyone builds their own tortilla. The lime, cumin, and paprika marinade gives the meat a bold, slightly smoky flavor, while the briefly fried beef strips stay juicy and tender. It combines the speed of stir-frying with rich seasoning, so it tastes like something from a good restaurant even though it’s made in a single pan.
Chef's tips
The key is a very hot pan – the meat has to brown in a few minutes, otherwise it will start to stew and turn tough. Slice the beef thinly across the grain and fry in batches; don’t throw everything in at once, because an overcrowded pan won’t give you those characteristic charred edges. Warm the tortillas briefly, just until they become pliable – if you leave them too long on a dry pan, they’ll start to harden and crack when rolled.
How to serve
Serve fajitas family-style: a pan with meat and vegetables, a stack of warm tortillas, a bowl of sour cream, lime wedges, and for example a quick tomato and red onion salad. To drink, light beer, lime water, or a simple tequila-based drink works well if it’s a dinner with friends. It’s perfect for a Mexican-themed evening at home or watching a game, when everyone likes to decide for themselves how much meat and which toppings to put inside.
Ingredients
- beef - 500 g
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- onion - 1 piece
- garlic - 2 cloves
- lime - 1 piece
- vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons
- sweet paprika - 1 teaspoon
- chili powder - 0.5 teaspoons
- cumin - 0.5 teaspoons
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- black pepper - 0.5 teaspoons
- wheat tortilla - 8 piece
- sour cream - 100 g
Preparation
- Cut the beef into thin strips across the grain so it stays tender after frying.
- In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of oil, lime juice, pressed garlic, sweet paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the beef strips, mix thoroughly, and set aside for at least 15 minutes (you can also marinate the meat a few hours in advance in the fridge).
- Deseed the peppers and cut them into strips. Halve the onion and slice it into thin wedges.
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the peppers and onion and fry for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until slightly softened and lightly charred in spots. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same very hot pan, spread out some of the beef in a single layer (don’t add it all at once so it fries instead of stewing). Fry for 2–3 minutes until browned but still slightly pink inside. Repeat with the remaining meat.
- Return all the fried beef strips to the pan, add the sautéed vegetables, toss together, and fry for another 1–2 minutes so the flavors combine. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for 20–30 seconds on each side, until soft and pliable.
- Serve the fajitas DIY-style: put the pan with meat and vegetables on the table, a plate of tortillas, and a bowl of sour cream. Everyone fills a tortilla and rolls it up like small wraps.
Storage
Store leftover meat and vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat quickly in a hot pan so the beef doesn’t overcook. Warm fresh tortillas separately just before serving again.
