Lime Steak Fajita Wraps, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole

Here is tonight's dinner:

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Hungry? Thought so. Here's what you need:

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Starting at 9 o'clock: 1/2 a red onion (0.30), 8 sprigs of cilantro (0.08), 3 tomatoes (1.81), 1 jalapeño (0.09), 2 limes (0.50), 2 cloves of garlic (0.05), an avocado (0.79), a head of Boston lettuce (0.79), and 2 lbs of skirt steak (7.70) - Total costs and per serving costs are at the end

There is some logic to the order of doing things here, so follow me on this. We'll start with the pico de gallo since it gains flavor as it sits. Pico is a really basic chop and mix recipe. First, slice the tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds and juicy center. Once the juice is gone, chop them up.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Now chop the jalapeño (seed it - check the chili post for how to do this), onions, and cilantro. Use all of the cilantro. The stems have a ton of flavor that most people miss out on. You just need to chop it up well.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Don't mix them yet, just let them sit in a container layered. Next, grate the garlic on top and add a pinch of salt. Here's what you should have:

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Throw your steak on the grill at this point. We had our butcher tenderize the meat twice. It can be tough if you don't. Marinating is also an option - try Mexican beer, squeezed lime juice, squeezed orange juice, chili powder, and cumin. We did that a long time ago and got good results. This time we were in too much of a rush. Make sure your grill is nice and hot so that you can get a nice sear on the meat.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and some garlic powder if you like those flavors. While the meat cooks, take your head of Boston lettuce and peel back each layer. Each head of lettuce should yield about a dozen usable wraps. I use Boston lettuce instead of iceberg because it works so much better for wraps. Iceberg tends to tear and retain too much water. Rinse those off and set them aside.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

At this point the steak should be ready to flip and then pull off the grill. Set the steak aside and let it rest for a few minutes. It's important to not cut the meat right away. Cutting too soon lets out all the moisture and the meat will be dry and tough.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Grab your limes and start grating/zesting them.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Only remove the green layer of skin. The white part is too bitter. The two limes should give you a nice line of shavings that would make Tony Montana proud.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Slice the meat and sprinkle the zest on top.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

Roll the limes around on the counter applying firm pressure until they're soft then cut them in half. Rolling them around bursts all of the juice pockets in the lime and helps get more juice out of each piece of fruit. Squeeze the juice into your pico de gallo mix and stir.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

The beauty of making pico de gallo is that you're only an avocado away from having guacamole. Take a little less than half of the pico and mash it in with an avocado.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

I looks ugly but tastes so good. All that's left to do is plate it all up. Start with a leaf of boston lettuce, add some meat, and top it off with the pico.

From Lime skirt steak, pico, and guac

The total cost of this meal was 12.11. My fiancé and I ate half of it for dinner, meaning we could get 4 meals out of it. My MENSA level math skills tell me that averages out to 3.03 per meal.