Flank Steak Tacos with Strawberry Mint Salsa

These Flank Steak Tacos are a flavor explosion thanks to strawberry mint salsa and gorgonzola cheese… They’ll help you hold on to summer for as long as possible!

(This recipe for Flank Steak Tacos with Strawberry Mint Salsa was originally published in September 2011, but has been updated with new photos and content in 2019).

This is such a confusing time of year for me. On the one hand, it’s very much still summer (for almost a whole entire month!). It’s still nice and warm during the days here in New England and I’m still eating as much summer produce as I possibly can. However, it was 56 degrees when I woke up yesterday morning and my husband tried to wear his winter coat to work (It’s August!! To be fair, his winter coat is pretty lightweight, but still, no), kids are pretty much all back to school, and summer is unofficially ending this weekend. Oh also, I’m over here behind the scenes working on lots of pumpkin and apple recipes, while still trying to soak up as many summer vibes as I can.

So, yes, I’m confused. But for the most part, I’m trying to live in the present and my present is filled with strawberries, fresh herbs, and easy weeknight dinners. Though I’ve had strawberries in dessert form so many times this summer, I’m also a fan of strawberries in savory entree form, especially when it comes to steak. These Flank Steak Tacos with Strawberry Mint Salsa blew my mind when I first made them years ago and they’ve become a staple in my summer meal repertoire.

The tacos are super easy and quick to get on your dinner table, but packed with summer deliciousness!

FLANK STEAK TACOS WITH STRAWBERRY MINT SALSA RECIPE

The only time-consuming part of this recipe is the fact that the steak needs to marinate for at least an hour. However, you can let the steak marinate overnight if you want, which means you could whip up the marinade before you go to bed and be ready to rock the next day… Or you can do it in the morning before you go to work and when you come home, your steak will be ready to cook!

The flank steak marinade I use includes lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, red onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. It’s super simple, but delicious.

You can either mix your  marinade ingredients in a bowl and pour over steak in a dish or put everything into a bag.

Whatever you use, try to flip the steak or move it around in the marinade a couple times to ensure no parts of the steak are unexposed to the marinade.

What If I Can’t Find Flank Steak?

No worries! Depending on where you shop, flank steak can sometimes be difficult to find. I’ve made these tacos with both flank steak and skirt steak and both are fabulous (it’s actually skirt steak shown in the marinade photo above!), though I do prefer flank because it’s a bit more tender. I haven’t tried using it in this recipe, but flat iron steak is also similar to flank and skirt, so that can also be used as a substitute.

While the steak is marinating, you can whip up the strawberry mint salsa, which is also incredibly easy.

All you need to do is mix together strawberries, red onion, chopped mint, jalapeño, and lime juice. Pop the bowl in the fridge while you finish the steak, so the flavors can meld together. Yum.

When the steak is done marinating, remove from fridge, and let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. And heat a grill pan (or regular pan or actual grill) to medium-high. Cook the steak for about 3 minutes on each side. I highly recommend cooking it to medium-rare, which should come in at 135 degrees on a meat thermometer. Once you remove the steak from the pan, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes, otherwise, the juices will release when you slice it.

After 5-10 minutes, slice the steak thinly against the grain. It’s very important you slice it against the grain for the most tender meat.

Now, warm your tortillas, either by placing them on a the grill pan or in the microwave. Divide steak evenly between the tortillas and top with strawberry mint salsa and a little bit of gorgonzola cheese.

Yup. It definitely tastes like it’s still summer out there! But guess what? These flank steak tacos aren’t just for summer… You can make them any time of year! While strawberries are definitely best in the spring/summer months, depending on where you life, they’re likely readily available year-round, which means you can make the strawberry mint salsa any time.

We eat tacos quite often in our house (there are SO many varieties, you feel like you’re having a completely different kind every time), but I’m pretty sure these flank steak tacos are my absolute favorite.

When I first made these, I was a little uncertain about how strawberries and gorgonzola would go together. But let me tell you, they’re an incredible match. You have the sweet flavor of the strawberries combined with the creamy aggressive sharpness of the gorgonzola and you’re in heaven. Or at least I was.

But that also could have had something to do with the fact that there was flank steak involved.

Another awesome thing about flank steak tacos? They go fabulously with all kinds of summer cocktails or even a simple glass of white wine or rosé. If you’re looking for a cocktail pairing, I recommend this Spicy Vodka Blackberry Smash (the more berries, the better!) or this Jalapeño Parsley Sour Martini. I also love the idea of these Beer Margaritas from Casa de Crews!

I also use a strawberry salsa (with avocado and mango!) on these shrimp tacos… Just one more way you can get your fill of summer fruit in savory form.

How are you trying to get the most out of the remaining summer fruits and veggies?

Print

Flank Steak Tacos with Strawberry Mint Salsa

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Marinating Time

1 hr

Total Time

30 mins

 

These Flank Steak Tacos are a flavor explosion thanks to strawberry mint salsa and gorgonzola cheese... They'll help you hold on to summer for as long as possible!

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Flank Steak Recipes, Savory Fruit Recipes, Steak Tacos

Servings: 8 tacos

Author: Sues

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lb. flank steak (can also use skirt steak)
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas
• Strawberry Mint Salsa (recipe below)
• 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese, for topping

Strawberry Mint Salsa

• 1 1/4 cup chopped strawberries (from 8-10 large strawberries)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped mint
• 1 Tbsp chopped jalapeño
• 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix lime juice, red onion, garlic, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.
   

2. Set the flank steak in a baking dish (or other shallow dish) and pour the marinade over the top. Flip the steak over to make sure the marinade gets everywhere. Cover dish in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour (can also let marinate overnight). Try to flip steak in marinade a few times.

3. When steak is done marinating, remove from fridge, brush off any onion or garlic stuck to steak, and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. 

4. Heat a grill pan (you can also use a regular pan or a grill) to medium-high and brush with a little bit of olive oil. Cook steak for 3-4 minutes on each side, until desired degree of doneness (note that steak may continue cooking a bit when taken off heat). I recommend medium-rare, which should be about 135 degrees on a meat thermometer. Remove steak from pan and let rest for 5-10 minutes. 

5. Slice steak thinly, being sure to slice against the grain. 

6. Warm tortillas (either in grill pan you cooked steak in or in microwave) and divide slices of steak between them. Top each taco with strawberry mint salsa and a little bit of gorgonzola cheese.

Strawberry Mint Salsa

1. Mix together strawberries, red onion, chopped mint, jalapeño, and lime juice. Let rest in the fridge until ready to use.