How to prepare a dish, what types of filling can you use? TOP 6 Fajitas Recipes. How to serve correctly? Video recipes.
Fajitas is a Mexican dish that is also referred to as Texas cuisine. Its history began a little over 100 years ago, when "fajita" was first cooked by cowboys in the Rio Grande. This name comes from the word "faja" (strip), tk. the ingredients for the filling were cut into strips. This method of cutting was not chosen by chance, or rather, it was imposed by objective reality. Cowboys were shepherds and were partially rewarded for their labor with scraps of meat, which were convenient to grind with just medium pieces. The classic fajitas consists of a beef and vegetable filling placed in a flat cake bent in half and drizzled with sauce. Currently, other types of meat, fish, and seafood are also used as filling. The list of suitable vegetables has also expanded significantly.
Fajitas cooking features
Fajitas refers to dishes that are very easy to prepare, but there are still nuances and rules. Ingredients are cut into elongated strips. So the overall look becomes harmonious. The bars should not be too thin so that the taste of each component is pronounced.
What filling to use for the dish:
- Meat filling. For its preparation, beef, pork, chicken, turkey are used. Beef meat should be pre-marinated so that ultimately it is soft and tasty. The marinating time is from 2 to 12 hours. Of course, other meats can also be marinated beforehand. Use your favorite seasonings to add flavor and flavor. To get the taste that is as close to the original as possible, when choosing flavorings, keep in mind that Mexicans are very fond of spicy and pungent food additives.
- Mushroom filling. Mushrooms can serve as a special and very interesting ingredient. They are quite capable of replacing meat without in any way diminishing the useful value and taste of the dish.
- Fish filling. As such, fish with dense meat can be used. It is usually marinated a little and then grilled until tender. You can also put shrimp or other seafood.
- Vegetable dressing. The original recipe requires bell peppers and onions to be added to the fajitas. Chili peppers, tomatoes, green beans, corn, asparagus, carrots, celery are often included in the list of ingredients.
It is noteworthy that the finished filling can be stored in the refrigerator, and just reheated before serving.
Depending on the main ingredients of the filling picking up the sauce … The most commonly used are tomato salsa and sweet and sour guacomole. You can buy them or make them yourself. Sour cream or yoghurt sauce with garlic and herbs is also served for lovers of a less piquant taste. Sometimes, in the absence of Mexican gas stations, ready-made fillings from the supermarket are used.
An excellent option for enhancing flavor is serving hard cheese, grated on a coarse grater. Many people prefer cheddar, which has a slightly nutty, slightly harsh and sour taste.
The classic recipe for fajitas involves the use of a special Mexican flatbread called tortilla. They can be made from wheat or potato flour. Nowadays, some amateur chefs replace them with Armenian lavash, others make their own thin unleavened crumpets of small size.
TOP 6 Fajitas Recipes
Probably, there is not a single dish, the classic recipe of which has not been supplemented and has not changed over time as it spread from the "native" country to others. Mexican fajitas is no exception. He has a lot of interpretations. In any recipe, the main idea is taken as a basis - a delicious spicy appetizer on a thin unleavened flat cake, seasoned with original sauces. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with several very common methods of preparing this interesting, tasty and nutritious dish.
Fajitas with chicken
In our country, the most popular type of meat is chicken, which is why it is most often replaced by more expensive pork and beef. Chicken cooks faster, is leaner than fatty pork, and costs less. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with a simple step-by-step instruction on how to cook a Mexican dish with chicken. The chicken fajita recipe with a photo will certainly not leave any questions regarding the cooking process of this dish.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 550 kcal.
- Servings Per Container - 6 Servings
- Cooking time - 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- Chicken breast - 2 pcs.
- Coriander - 1 bunch
- Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.
- Red onion - 1 pc.
- Smoked paprika - 1 tsp
- Zira - 2 g
- Lime - 4 pcs.
- Olive oil to taste
- Ground black pepper, salt - to taste
- Tortilla - 4 pcs.
- Natural yogurt without additives - 150 ml
- Cheddar cheese - 60 g
- Chili pepper - 1 pc.
- Cherry tomatoes - 25 pcs.
- Avocado - 1 pc.
Step by step cooking chicken fajitas:
- Cooking salsa. To do this, cut half the chili pepper into small pieces. Grind the tomatoes and a third of the cilantro a little coarser. We mix all three ingredients, salt and pepper. Add lime juice.
- Cooking guacomole. Crush the remaining cherry tomatoes on a cutting board, here we cut the remaining chili and cilantro into thin strips. Divide the avocado into two parts, squeeze the pulp to the tomatoes and chop everything together with a knife. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- We grate the cheddar.
- Peeled peppers and onions, cut into thin strips. Cut the chicken breasts into about the same pieces. Mix all these ingredients with cumin and paprika, juice from half a lime, sprinkle with olive oil, pepper and stir. The marinating time is 10 minutes.
- Warm up the grill pan. Stirring constantly, fry the marinated chicken with vegetables in a little oil for 8 minutes. At the end of frying, sprinkle everything with lime juice.
- We heat the cakes and serve all the components of the future fajitas to the table.
Spicy fajitas with pork
Many people love pork. The meat has excellent taste and aroma. Fajitas with pork is high in calories and nutritious, so a large number of people choose it for a hearty dinner.
Ingredients:
- Pork, pulp - 700 g
- Sweet peppers of different colors - 3 pcs.
- Sweet onion - 1 pc.
- Green onions - 1 bunch
- Apple cider vinegar - 50 ml
- Orange juice - 50 ml
- Garlic - 4 cloves
- Dried oregano - 5 g
- Ground zira - 3 g
- Ground cinnamon - 3 g
- Chili peppers in flakes - to taste
- Ground black pepper - 5 g
- Sea salt - 5 g
- Small tortillas - 12 pcs.
- Sour cream - 200 ml
- Cilantro - 1 bunch
- Lime - 2 pcs.
- Chili pepper - 2 pcs.
- Tomatoes - 2 pcs.
- Red onion - 1 pc.
- Cilantro - 5 branches
- Salt to taste
How to prepare spicy pork fajitas step by step:
- Combine garlic, vinegar, orange juice, black pepper and salt, cumin, oregano and cinnamon, and chili flakes in a blender bowl. Whisk until smooth. Pour the pork cut into thin cubes with the resulting marinade, refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
- Cut the bell peppers into thin strips, the onion with feathers, the green onion into 5 cm pieces. Fry all together in olive oil until soft. Place on a plate and cover with a half chick to keep warm.
- Remove the seeds from the chili and chop the flesh into small pieces. Chop the tomatoes and onions into small cubes. Chop the cilantro with a knife. Place all this in a deep plate and pour over half a lime juice, salt and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.
- Place the pork in a hot skillet with heated oil. At the same time, try to shake the marinade off the meat as best as possible. Fry over high heat until golden brown. Pour in the fried vegetables, heat for a few minutes to maximize the temperature of the dressing.
- At this time, you can also warm up the cakes - in a separate frying pan, in the microwave or in the oven.
- Serve all individually - fajitas, tortillas, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, and lime. The cake can only be bent in half and put the dressing and sauce inside, or you can roll it up in a cone or tube.
Vegetarian fajitas with mushrooms
The ingredient list for the classic Mexican fajitas recipe includes, among other things, meat products. However, such an interesting and tasty dish can be made vegetarian by replacing chicken, pork or beef with mushrooms, while retaining the aroma and healthiness of vegetables.
Ingredients:
- Salsa sauce - 80 g
- Fresh sweet pepper - 1 pc.
- Champignon mushrooms - 60 g
- Bulb onions - 1 pc.
- Fresh spinach - 30 g
- Ground cumin, paprika, salt, ground black pepper - to taste
- Olive oil - 30-40 ml
- Flour - 0.5 kg (for tortilla)
- Salt - 1 tablespoon (for tortilla)
- Baking powder - 1 tsp (for tortilla)
- Sunflower oil - 100 ml (for tortilla)
- Hot water - not less than 0.25 l (for tortilla)
How to prepare vegetarian fajitas step by step:
- To make sure that the scones are egg-free, they are best made by yourself. Tortillas are quite simple to prepare. First, flour, salt, baking powder are mixed. Oil is added to the dry mixture, everything is mixed. Now you can gradually add hot water while kneading the dough.
- We give the resulting mass to "rest" under a cloth or paper napkin, divide into pieces the size of a chicken egg, roll into balls and roll out thin cakes. The diameter should be no more than 20 cm - this is the optimal size for one portion of fajitas.
- Fry the resulting layers for just one minute on each side, and you do not need to grease the pan with oil, the tortillas are cooked "dry".
- Cut onions and peppers into long strips and fry until soft in olive oil preheated in a pan. Add mushrooms chopped with straws or plates here. Now fry until cooked, add salt and pepper.
- We wash the spinach leaves, dry them slightly, tear them into large pieces with our hands and season with spices.
- We wrap the warm cakes with a cone and put the required amount of filling inside. Serve tomato salsa with the sauce.
Fajitas with beef, avocado and beans
This recipe cannot be called classic, despite the fact that it is beef that is used for the meat dressing. The dish is supplemented with nutritious products, which makes it even more tasty and healthy.
Ingredients:
- Beef - 0.5 kg
- Multi-colored bell pepper - 8-10 pcs.
- Onions - 2 pcs.
- Celery (stem) - 100 g
- Red beans (boiled or canned) - 0.4 kg
- Avocado - 2 pcs.
- Vegetable oil to taste
- Wine vinegar (3%) - 20 ml
- Fresh cilantro - 20 g
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Lime - 1 pc.
- Black pepper and salt - to taste
- Tortilla cakes - at least 10 pcs.
- Sour cream, salsa - to taste
How to prepare fajitas with beef, avocado and beans step by step:
- We wash the beef, dry it and cut it into strips 5-6 cm long, 1-1.5 cm thick.
- Grind the cilantro, pass the garlic through a press, squeeze the juice from the lime. We mix everything. Divide in half into different containers.
- Pour wine vinegar, vegetable oil (only 20 ml) into one part of the garlic mixture, season with black pepper and stir. Pour the beef with this marinade and leave to soak for 2 hours.
- Clean the washed avocado and cut into large slices, pour over the rest of the garlic marinade, add and stir.
- Cut a clean celery stalk into strips, mix with beans and season with salsa.
- Fry the marinated meat in a grill pan without adding oil until cooked.
- Cut the bell pepper into large strips, fry, mix with the meat.
- Serve bean salad, marinated avocado, meat dressing, tortillas and your favorite sauces on different plates.
Fajitas with chicken and beans in pita bread
This is one of the simplest recipes for this Mexican dish. The meat filling is made from chicken, which does not require prior marinating. And the beans are taken ready-made - canned. You can also take sauces ready-made from the supermarket. This option is suitable for an impromptu snack or for meeting unexpected guests.
Ingredients:
- Chicken fillet - 1 kg
- Sweet peppers - 3 pcs.
- Chili peppers - 4 pcs.
- Canned beans - 2 cans
- Vegetable oil - for frying
- Salt to taste
- Armenian lavash - 2 packs
- Sour cream - 200 ml
Step-by-step cooking of fajitas with chicken and beans in Armenian lavash:
- Fry the bell pepper, lightly cut into strips. Add fillet cut into strips to it, fry for 5-8 minutes. Add salt, add chopped chili and beans. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Divide the pita bread with a knife into squares or with kitchen scissors in the shape of a circle. The dimensions should be such that it is comfortable to hold in the palm of your hand. Heat slightly in a frying pan.
- Serve dressing, pita bread and sour cream on separate plates.
Fajitas with shrimps
It is impossible to ignore the dishes prepared with seafood. A large number of people love shrimp for their nutritional value and good taste. We suggest cooking shrimp fajitas.
Ingredients:
- Shrimp - 500 g
- Onions - 1 pc.
- Sweet peppers, red and green - 1 pc.
- Cheddar, mozzarella, suluguni - 70 g each
- Sour cream - 200 ml
- Salsa - 150 ml
- Guacomole - 150 ml
- Tortilla - 6-8 pcs.
- Vegetable oil - 50 ml
- Lime - 1 pc.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
- Lime juice - 20 ml
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Ground chili - 5 g
- Ground coriander - 3 g
- Cumin - 3 g
- Cayenne pepper flakes - 3 g
Step by step preparation of shrimp fajitas:
- Combine olive oil, lime juice, crushed garlic, chili, coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Marinate shrimps with this mixture for 25-30 minutes.
- We heat the oil, add the vegetables chopped with a strip into the pan, fry for several minutes over medium heat. Onions and peppers should be browned on the outside and still damp on the inside. Add, pepper. Pour the shrimps into the pan and fry until tender. It is important not to overexpose them. Boiled shrimps are simmered with vegetables for no more than 2 minutes, raw - up to 4 minutes.
- The serving is traditional - dressing, warmed tortillas and sauces on different dishes.
How to properly serve fajitas to the table?
The ingredients and the preparation process for the filling for fajitas are not particularly original. However, this dish stands out for its non-standard and rather spectacular presentation.
Cakes and several types of sauces are served in advance. Very often, even in Mesquica, sour cream and greens are served. After preparing the filling, it is brought to the guests directly in a frying pan, then poured lightly with tequila and set on fire. This is the final "ritual" of the cooking ceremony. They can withstand the fire for only a few seconds, but such a spectacle looks quite impressive.
This way of serving will be appropriate at any party, and no one can resist trying this wonderful dish. The tortilla is placed in the palm of your hand and slightly bent in half, then dressing is applied and seasoned with your favorite sauce. Another feature is that everyone decides for himself how much topping to place on the tortilla and which sauce to choose.
The most suitable drink is Mexican beer. It can refresh not only with a chill, but also slightly smooth out the piquant taste of fajitas. At the same time, a real beer drink does not harm your health, because is pretty lightweight. Sometimes for a richer taste, a small amount of tequila and a couple of lime wedges are added to the beer. Pure tequila is fine, though.
