Mojo Marinated Skirt Steak

A citrusy-garlicky marinade for meat, pork, chicken, and seafood. Mojo Marinade adds so much flavor with just a few fresh ingredients. You’ll never want to buy store bought mojo marinade again!

WHAT IS MOJO?

Mojo is a red or green sauce that is originally from the Spanish Canary Islands with many variations. The word itself, “mojo” means sauce. The Canarian mojo contains olive oil, peppers, spices, garlic, and sometimes cilantro or parsley.

The Caribbean Islands, Puerto Rico, and Cuba all have a mojo variations of their own due to the heavy Canarian emigration. Mojo has a triple-duty purpose as a marinade, a meat tenderizer, and a condiment to meat, seafood, poultry, and vegetables.

Cuban mojo is a sauce or marinade that contains lots of garlic, citrus juices (including sour/bitter oranges), oregano, cumin, salt, and olive oil or pork lard. It is commonly used to marinate roast pork. Without adding oregano, the Cubans call it “mojito” and use it as a dip for plantain chips and fried cassava (yuca).

While Puerto Rican mojo is an herb sauce or marinade made with finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, garlic, grated onion, salt, black pepper, vinegar or citrus juice. The Puerto Ricans commonly use it as a marinade for roast chicken and a dip for tostones or fried cassava (yuca).

WHAT IS CITRUS ZEST?

The peel of citrus fruit contains two top layers: The first layer is the zest, the colored outermost portion of the rind. Zest is shiny, bright colored, and textured which adds intense citrus flavor with very little bitterness. Citrus fruits that are most commonly zested are lemons, limes, and oranges. The second layer is the pith, the inner white membrane directly below the zest. The purpose of the fibrous, pith is to protect the fruit inside but it is bitter and should not be zested.

HOW TO ZEST CITRUS FRUIT

• Hold the fruit in one hand while holding the microplane in the other.
• Scrape the fruit gently in a downward motion one time and lift the microplane.
• Do not zest the white pith portion!
• Continue zesting around the outermost peel of the citrus fruit.
• Note: If you only need a small amount of zest, only scrape what is needed, wrap the citrus fruit tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE MOJO MARINATED SKIRT STEAK

• Skirt steak
• Oranges, zest and juice
• Lime, zest and juice
• Lemon, zest and juice
• Garlic cloves
• Small onion,
• Fresh oregano or dried oregano
• Cumin
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Olive oil

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CAN THE MARINADE BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME OR STORED TO USE LATER?

Absolutely! Make the marinade and refrigerate in an airtight container or bottle for up to 2 weeks. The marinade can also be frozen in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Great tip: Another option is to make the marinade in a Ziploc bag, add the meat, and store in freezer. Thaw the day before in the refrigerator and grill or cook!

CAN OTHER CUTS OF BEEF, PORK, OR FISH BE USED WITH THIS MOJO MARINADE RECIPE?

Sure thing! Mojo Marinade is for not only skirt steak but flank steak, pork chops, pork roast, any cuts of chicken, shrimp, or fish fillets. Why not put some marinated shrimp, cubed chicken, or meat on skewers and cook the grill?! Mojo marinated meat, chicken, or seafood is also great baked or sautéed as well.

HOW TO MAKE MOJO MARINATED SKIRT STEAK

• In a large Ziploc bag or large bowl, whisk together the mojo marinade ingredients.
• Marinade the steak for 24 hours (minimum of 4 hours) in the refrigerator.

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• Remove the bag or bowl of marinated steak and let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes before cooking.
• Heat the grill to 500°F and grill about 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak.
• Let the steak rest on a cutting board, covered with foil for 10 minutes.
• Slice and serve with your favorite sides.