Carne Asada Marinade (for grilled steak)

Sliced flank steak on a cutting board with flank steak marinade in a small bowl.

5 from 2 votes

Carne Asada Marinade (for grilled steak)

Juicy, grilled steak marinated in a bold carne asada marinade of citrus juices, garlic, cumin, and jalapeño. Quick to make, full of flavor, and perfect for tacos, salads, or grilled veggies. Not a cilantro fan? Use fresh Italian parsley.

Prep Time5

Cook Time11

Marinade time8

Total Time24

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: servings

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Sally Cameron

Ingredients

Meat

1 ½ pounds flank steak

Marinade & Sauce

½ cup fresh chopped cilantro
⅓ cup avocado or olive oil
½ medium jalapeno chopped fine
3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
3 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped white onion
1 tablespoon Worcestershire optional, not traditional
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Make the marinade

Combine all marinade ingredients in a blender or small food processor and pulse until mostly smooth. and pulse to puree, or use the small bowl of a food processor.

Marinate the steak

Reserve about ⅓ cup clean marinade for serving. Place the steak in a heavy zip-top bag or shallow dish. Add the remaining marinade, turning to coat both sides. Refrigerate for 2–6 hours.

Grill the steak

Remove the steak from the refrigerator 45–60 minutes before grilling to take off the chill. Preheat the grill over high heat and clean the grates. Remove the steak from the marinade and let excess drip off.
Grill about 10–12 minutes total, turning once, until the steak reaches 125°F–130°F for medium-rare. For grill marks, grill 4 minutes in one direction, rotate, grill 4 minutes more, then flip and cook about 3 minutes on the second side.
Rest 10 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. Serve with the reserved clean marinade spooned over the top or on the side.
When done, allow steak to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing to insure moist meat. Slice cross-grain into thin strips. Serve with clean marinade as sauce on the side or drizzled over the top.

Notes

Grill Tip – For perfect grill marks, use the 10:00 and 2:00 trick. When you lay the meat on the grill, point one end towards 10:00 on the clock. When first set of grill marks are set, move that point to 2:00. When grill marks are set, flip the steak and finish grilling.

Nutrition