Vaca Frita Recipe
Vacafrita is a famous Cuban dish that means ‘fried cow’. It is prepared from thin flank slices or skirt steak that is pan-fried until turn crispy.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak or flank steak
- 1/2 cup sour orange juice or 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup lime juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Fresh cilantro optional, for garnish
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a bowl, add minced garlic, sour orange juice, dried oregano, ground cumin, salt and pepper.
- Put the skirt steak in a shallow dish or a resealable plastic bag and pour the marinade over it, by ensuring that the steak is fully coated.
- Put it in the refrigerator to let it marinade for at least an hour or up to 8 hour for better flavor.
- Remove the steak from the marinade and dry it using paper towels.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame. Cook the steak in the skillet until thoroughly cooked and brown, it may take around 4-5 minutes per side.
- Take the steak out from the skillet and let it rest for a few minutes.
- In the similar skillet, add a little more olive oil if required. Add the sliced onions and cook them until turn soft and brown, it may take around 6- minutes.
- Mix in the lime juice and cook for more 1-2 minutes.
- Slice the rested steak thinly against the grain. Return the steak to the skillet with the onions and mix them together.
- You can top it with fresh cilantro or lemon wedges on the side.