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No time to marinate and grill? This quick and flavorful lean skillet carne asada uses choice steak cooked on the stovetop in a rich citrus spice blend.
I love carne asada, but often don’t have time to wait for a marinade or get the grill going. This recipe adapts the traditional recipe to for stovetop cooking, providing all of the flavors without extra steps.
Beyond the time savings, there are other advantages of this lean skillet carne asada. By using top round meat chunks aka “choice beef stew meat” it’s lower in total fat and saturated fat. You won’t see much fat marbling in it, and it’s doesn’t have a lot of connective tissue like other stew meat such as chuck.
Further, choice beef stew meat is much less expensive than whole steaks. Locally, flank steak is $12.99/lb. and choice stew meat is $6.99/lb. Meal prep at almost half the cost is a winner!
Notes about the recipe
For the limes and oranges, be sure to juice them completely and also add the pulp. For maximum extraction, I use this simple hand juicer to save time while also measuring the volume of the resulting liquid.
If the stew meat pieces are very large or are all different sizes, cut them smaller to get them all around the same size. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but we want them to cook evenly. Further, it’s important to remove the pieces from the pan before they are completely cooked. A good indication is when you first start to see a lot of liquid develop in the pan. The pieces will continue to cook after you remove them and cover in foil. During this time, additional juices will release. Pour it back into the pan with the citrus spice mixture to further enhance the flavor.
Serving suggestion: cauli rice mixed with lime and chopped cilantro, warm corn tortillas, and pico de gallo salsa, and avocado.
If you do decide to go the traditional grilling route, the mixture of juices and spices shown in the recipe works perfect as a marinade for flank steak. Place the steak in a bowl and coat with the marinade and cover, allow to rest in the fridge for 2 hours before grilling. Note that flank steak has a higher fat content than choice beef stew meat.
Lean Skillet Carne Asada
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb. (40 oz.) choice beef stew meat
- Juice from 4 limes
- Juice from 1 large navel orange
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
- 2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp. cumin powder
- 1.5 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together lime and orange juices, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder.
- Lightly spray a large skillet with cooking oil and turn to medium-high heat.
- Add the pieces of beef and sprinkle with salt.
- Cook the beef until about 80% cooked (juices are running out, about 6-7 minutes). NOTE: If your skillet is small, cook in two batches if necessary. Do not crowd the pan.
- With a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the meat pieces and transfer to a bowl. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil and set aside. Leave remaining juices in the pan.
- Maintaining the skillet on medium-high heat, add the juice/spice mixture.
- Allow the mixture to lightly boil to eliminate water, about 5 minutes.
- After five minutes, add any excess liquid in your bowl of beef chunks to the skillet.
- Continue bubbling the liquid in the pan until it is thickened and looks more like a glaze (about 5-7 more minutes).
- Return the beef pieces to the pan and stir until the meat is coated in the glaze. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer meat to a serving bowl and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutrition for the entire batch: 1573 Cal, 147 g protein, 34 g carbs, 36 g fat
- Nutrition per serving (6 servings): 262 Cal, 25g protein, 6 g carbs, 6 g fat
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