My husband isn’t really a fan of pineapple, so when he suggested this recipe for flank steak tacos with a grilled pineapple salsa from Eating Well, I wasn’t going to argue. In fact, I put it on the menu and bought all the ingredients before he could change his mind!
We’ve made this a few times since that first time and both really like these tacos. They are actually pretty light too and neither of us miss the normal cheese and sour cream we add to regular tacos. In fact these are simple, just the steak and pineapple salsa. But just because they are simple don’t think they are lacking in flavor. The steak has a nice kick from a chipotle rub, and the pineapple salsa – something magical happens when you grill pineapple, it’s sweet and succulent and citrus mellows a little, it’s a perfect complement to the steak. It’s also quick enough to make on a week night.
Here’s what you need:
Start by making the spice rub for the steak. Mix together some oil, chipotle powder, and salt.
Rub onto both sides of the steak.
Slice the pineapple into thick rings, about a ½ inch thick. You don’t need to remove the core before you grill. Of course if you have one of those nifty corer tools it doesn’t hurt to do it now either.
Grill both the steak and the pineapple. The steak will take about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. The pineapple about 2-3 minutes per side. For the pineapple you are looking for a nice char – some nice dark grill marks.
Take everything off the grill. Allow the steak to rest for at least 5 minutes. It’s critical to allow the juices within the steak to redistribute. This will prevent a bunch of ‘blood’ running all over when you cut into the steak, even cooked medium rare. This helps keep your steak nice and juicy. This will also give you time to prepare the salsa.
Finely dice a red bell pepper, about a ½ a cup of red onion, and ¼ cup or so of cilantro. Add in some red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and a little chipotle powder.
Finely chop the pineapple. Remove the core if you didn’t before grilling.
Stir together with the rest of the salsa ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Now that the steak has rested, slice it thinly across the grain. Slicing it across the grain makes the flank steak melt-in-your mouth tender.
Serve the sliced steak with the pineapple salsa in warm tortillas.
The last time we made this, we had enough leftover for one lunch. One day when I was working from home, I discovered a half avocado in the fridge and paired slices of avocado with the leftover steak and pineapple salsa. It added a nice creamy element to the tacos. I might start serving avocado every time I make these from now on.
- 1 t extra virgin olive oil
- 1 t powdered chipotle powder
- 1 t kosher salt
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cut into ½ inch thick slices
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ c minced red onion
- ¼ c chopped cilantro
- 2 T red wine vinegar
- Dash chipotle powder
- Pinch salt
- Taco/fajita sized flour tortillas, warmed
- Preheat the grill to high.
- Combine oil, one teaspoon chipotle powder, and salt in a small dish. Rub into both sides of the steak.
- Grill the steak for about 4 minutes per side, until medium rare. Grill the pineapple for about 2-3 minutes per side until lightly charred with dark grill marks. Remove from grill. Allow steak to rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Finely dice the pineapple. Combine with red bell pepper, onion, cilantro, vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a dash of chipotle powder. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Slice the steak into thin strips across the grain.
- Serve the steak in the warmed tortillas and topped with pineapple salsa.
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