To make fajita seasoning, whisk two tablespoons each of chili powder and paprika with one tablespoon each of ground cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder, a teaspoon of dried oregano, a teaspoon of salt, and a half teaspoon of black pepper. Use one tablespoon per pound of meat.
What is fajita seasoning?
Fajita seasoning is the border-grill blend: chili powder for depth, paprika for color and sweetness, cumin for the earthy note that says Tex-Mex, rounded with garlic, onion, and oregano. It differs from taco seasoning mostly in proportion, fajita blends run heavier on paprika and lighter on cumin, built to season meat before high heat rather than simmer into a skillet sauce.
The commercial packet pads that formula with salt, cornstarch, and sugar, which is why packet fajitas taste vaguely wet and glazed. Mixed at home the blend is drier, hotter-toasting, and costs pennies per batch from spices already in the rack.
What goes in fajita seasoning?
- ·2 tbsp chili powder
- ·2 tbsp sweet paprika (smoked for a grill note)
- ·1 tbsp ground cumin
- ·1 tbsp garlic powder
- ·1 tbsp onion powder
- ·1 tsp dried oregano (Mexican if you have it)
- ·1 tsp salt
- ·1/2 tsp black pepper
- ·1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne, to taste
Two parts chili powder, two parts paprika, one part cumin is the spine, with garlic and onion at the same level as cumin. One tablespoon of blend seasons a pound of skirt steak, chicken, or shrimp, plus the peppers and onions in the pan.
How do you make fajita seasoning?
- Whisk everything together in a bowl until no streaks remain.
- Store in a sealed jar out of the light. Full strength for about three months.
- To use as a rub: toss one tablespoon per pound of meat with a tablespoon of oil, rest fifteen minutes, then sear hot.
- To use as a marinade: mix a tablespoon of blend with the juice of one lime and two tablespoons of oil per pound, thirty minutes to four hours.
- Season the peppers and onions with an extra teaspoon while they char.
What should you know before making fajita seasoning?
- Lime is the missing ingredient in every bland fajita, the blend supplies warmth but the acid comes at the pan.
- Bloom the spices: let the rubbed meat sit fifteen minutes so the spices hydrate and stick through the sear.
- Skirt steak first, but the blend is equally at home on chicken thighs, shrimp, portobellos, and roasted cauliflower.
Where did fajita seasoning come from?
Fajitas began with ranch hands along the Texas-Mexico border grilling skirt steak, the faja or belt of the steer, over mesquite. The spice-rack blend followed the dish out of the Rio Grande Valley when restaurant fajitas swept the country in the 1980s.
What can you make from fajita seasoning?
Common questions.
What is the difference between fajita and taco seasoning?
Proportion and purpose. Fajita blends lean on paprika and are rubbed on whole cuts before searing. Taco blends lean on cumin and chili and usually simmer into ground meat with water. They can substitute in a pinch.
How much fajita seasoning per pound of meat?
One tablespoon per pound as a dry rub, or one tablespoon whisked with lime juice and oil as a quick marinade. Add another teaspoon to the pan for the peppers and onions.
Why does packet fajita seasoning list cornstarch?
It is a flow agent and thickener so the packet contents coat evenly and make a light glaze with water. Skipping it means better browning, which is the whole point of a fajita.