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Loaded with juicy, marinated and seared-to-perfection skirt steak, peppers and onions, this Carne Asada Bowl is as delicious as it is easy to make! Serve it over a bed of Mexican-style rice or pile it high on a tortilla for some killer tacos. However you choose to enjoy it, promise me you won’t skip out on the Avocado Lime Crema!
Ingredients You Need for the Carne Asada bowl
- Steak: I used skirt steak but you could substitute flank, flap, top sirloin, hanger, NY strip, or even a ribeye. You could also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or even use the marinade on fish.
- Lime Juice: A good squeeze of fresh lime juice will help flavour and tenderize the meat.
- Garlic: As always, measure this ingredient with your heart and don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much. Just remember to try to scrape most of the garlic off of the steak before cooking or it will burn.
- Spices: I use a combination of ground coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ancho chili powder, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper. You can experiment with the quantities to make it more or less spicy, or substitute your favourite pre-packaged taco seasoning.
- Bell Peppers and Onion: To round out the carne asada bowls, I like to throw some julienned onion and green and red bell peppers onto the griddle after cooking the steak. The trick is to cook them until soft but still crisp so that they have a nice balance of texture.
What You Need for the Avocado Lime Crema
Technically, this is more of an aioli than a true Mexican-style crema because it uses mayonnaise as a base, as opposed to sour cream. This keeps it dairy-free and perfect for anyone doing a round of Whole30 or following a Paleo diet. If preferred, you can substitute sour cream instead of mayonnaise or use equal parts of each.
- Avocado: Adding ripe avocado to the crema will give it a beautiful colour and help to make it nice and creamy.
- Avocado Oil Mayonnaise: To keep things Paleo and Whole30, use an avocado oil mayonnaise. You can make the mayo from scratch with the recipe in my cookbook or purchase it from a store. If I’m purchasing, I usually grab the large jars of Chosen Foods brand from my local Costco because they’re usually the best deal. This company also makes different versions of mayo with different seed oils so make sure you read the labels carefully before purchasing.
- Lime Juice: This will add some tang and also loosen the crema a bit so that it’s not too thick. Usually, you need more lime juice than you think so taste for seasoning and adjust as desired.
- Fresh Cilantro: For colour and flavour, add a small handful of fresh cilantro to the crema. If you don’t like cilantro but still want a vibrant green colour, you can try substituting some fresh chives and a couple of spinach leaves.
- Garlic: If the cloves are on the large size, just use one. If they’re average, go for two.
- Cumin: This is optional, but I oftentimes add ground cumin to the crema for some depth of flavour. I honestly just forgot to add it this time, which is why it doesn’t appear in the recipe video.
How to Cook the Carne Asada
You can definitely throw the steak and vegetables on the Traeger for this carne asada bowl. If you don’t have a grill or live in an apartment, your next best option is a carbon-steel griddle or large high heat-safe pan.
I love this griddle from Made In. It’s wide and long and covers two burners so you get lots of real estate to cook on. It’s also made from a single piece of thick-gauge, heavy duty carbon-steel, so it’s high heat-safe, completely non-toxic, virtually non-stick and practically indestructible. It has raised handles for easy carrying and control, and sloped edges to help trap liquids and make it easier to flip things with a spatula.
Build Your Bowl
- Start with a bed of Mexican rice or some leafy greens to keep things low-carb. You can also serve this over cauliflower rice to keep things Paleo and Whole30.
- Top with the grilled skirt steak
- Add the peppers and onions
- Mix together some chopped cilantro, onion and lime juice in a bowl and add some to your bowl.
- Garnish with some thinly sliced radish
- Spoon on the Avocado Lime Crema
- Enjoy!
More Recipes You’ll Love!
- Mahi Mahi Tacos with Jicama Slaw
- Paleo Shrimp Tacos with Chile Lime Crema
- Easy Chicken Fajitas
- Steak Fajitas Salad
- Flank Steak Fajitas
- Whole30 Chili Con Carne
- Blackened Snapper with Lemon, Garlic & Herb Butter
- Whole30 Beef Barbacoa
Carne Asada Bowl with Avocado Lime Crema
Ingredients
For the Avocado Lime Crema:
- 1/3 cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 1 medium avocado
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons lime juice, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
For the Carne Asada:
- 1.5 pounds skirt steak, substitute flank steak
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup avocado oil, plus 3 teaspoons
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- ½ large red bell pepper, julienned
- ½ large green bell pepper, julienned
- ½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
For serving:
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
- Juice of ½ lime
- Mexican Rice, recipe here
- 4 red radishes, thinly sliced
Instructions
For the Avocado Lime Crema:
- In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, avocado, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt, pepper or lime juice as desired. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. The crema can be refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 5 days.
For the Carne Asada:
- In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, avocado oil, garlic, ground coriander, smoked paprika, salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper and cayenne, if using, and whisk to incorporate. Add the skirt steak and toss to coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat your griddle to medium-high heat. Evenly drizzle 2 teaspoons of avocado oil and heat until shimmering. Add the steak and cook until nicely seared, around 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until seared and the thickest part of the steak registers 130F for a medium-rare center, around 3 more minutes. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest at least 8 minutes before slicing against the grain.
- Scrape up any burnt bits of marinade from the griddle and wipe it clean with a paper towel. Add 1 teaspoon of avocado oil and heat until shimmering. Add the red and green peppers and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly charred and slightly tender but still crisp, around 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro, ½ finely chopped small yellow onion, and juice of ½ lime. Toss to incorporate.
- Serve the carne asada and sautéed peppers and onion over a bed of Mexican rice. Garnish with the cilantro and onion mixture, some thinly sliced radishes and a big dollop of the Avocado Lime Crema. Enjoy immediately!
Video
About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
This was sooo good!!! This is my husband and I’s new favorite of yours. The steak turned out perfectly. I used a little Greek yogurt / less mayo in the crema because I don’t love the mayo taste
Love to hear it! Happy cooking!