Whip up this easy Carne Asada dinner tonight using holiday leftovers. Thin sliced prime rib is marinated in a citrus mojo for true Mexican flavor and topped with fresh pico de gallo. Serve on tacos or tortillas and, believe me, no one will believe it's leftovers! Option included for grilling a marinated skirt steak.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with lots of love, laughter and good food. My husband and I got to spend a fantastic Christmas with the whole family, 2 children, their spouses and 4 grandchildren. It was crazy and great all at the same time! We usually fix a really nice Christmas dinner and this was no exception. We had the most delicious prime Standing Rib Roast. OMG! Was it every good! What did you have for your Christmas dinner?
Leftover prime rib never tasted so good!
Since we had some leftover prime rib, I know you're thinking, what's leftover prime rib, we decided to go Mexican for the night. We adapted a tried and true Carne Asada recipe that we always use and made our own version. Served along with some tasty margaritas, I have to say, it was almost as good as our Christmas dinner.
This is a really simple recipe to make and can even be made from scratch with a skirt steak. The same procedure is done with both the cooked meat and the raw skirt steak so this can be on your table even without leftovers.
Check out how easy this Carne Asada is to prepare and definitely make the fresh pico de gallo, it was like the icing on the cake.
- Gather the fresh ingredients for the pico de gallo. You'll need tomatoes, cilantro, onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice and olive oil.
- Mix all together and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This lets all the flavors meld together.
- Now prepare the marinade for the beef. You'll need most of the same ingredients that go in the pico de gallo along with orange juice and vinegar. It makes a type of mojo sauce which lends just the right flavor to the mix.
- Pour the marinade in a plastic bag and add the beef, either the prime rib or the raw skirt steak (left whole).
- Place in refrigerator for at least an hour.
- When you're ready for dinner, pan fry the prime rib to warm it up. If grilling the skirt steak, heat grill to high and grill about 4 minutes per side then slice.
The meat comes out so juicy with a little bit of heat to it. A little squeeze of lime on top kicks the flavor up another notch.
Serve with tortillas, shredded cheese, sliced avocados and pico de gallo and let everyone serve themselves. It's a nice relaxing and fun dinner to throw together after the hectic holiday. And don't forget to pair it with your favorite beer or margarita.
Enjoy!
Carne Asada
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds leftover prime rib or skirt steak
Mojo Marinade
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ cup bottled lime juice
- ¼ cup prepared orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
Pico de Gallo
- 4 tomatoes chopped small
- ½ onion chopped small
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped small
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped fine
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- If using leftover prime rib, slice the beef into long thin strips. If you are going to grill a skirt steak, leave whole to marinate and cut prior to serving.
- Prepare and combine all the mojo sauce ingredients together.
- Place meat, either raw skirt steak or cooked prime rib, and marinade into resealable zippered bag and refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Make pico de gallo by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, heat the beef up quickly, about 3-5 minutes in a skillet. If grilling skirt steak, preheat grill to high and cook about 4 minutes per side. Remove and slice.
- Serve with warm tortillas (use a gluten free version for a delicious gluten-free meal), grated cheese, sliced avocado and pico de gallo.
