Five Top Tips for Epic Fajitas

Fajita night in our house is always a happy occasion. We love the fun and interaction we have around a table of fresh, flavoursome food. I have cooked them so many times over the years and I have had my share of fails. When you get fajitas right there is joy in the whole experience. Here are my tried and tested Five Top Tips for Epic Fajitas.

Tip 1: Make your own salsa

Hands down this salsa recipe will bring you endless happy mouthfuls for years to come. I don’t use it exclusively with fajitas. I use it in salads, on burgers, with fish… you can even add some ginger and cumin and have it with an India starter… it’s diverse and it’s simple to make. This will raise your fajita game and then some. Of all my top tips for Fajitas this one is the most flavoursome.

Before we get started lets talk tomatoes. People will tell you never to store your tomatoes in the fridge, I keep some in the fruit bowl and some in the fridge. It’s said that refrigerating them reduces the flavour and overall quality. But it’s also not 100% true. You can absolutely store your fully ripe tomatoes in the fridge so long as you give them a few days at room temperate to recover. Food52 wrote an insightful article about storing tomatoes check it out here.

How to make my simple salsa

Finely chop half an onion – the finer the chop the better the end result.

Remove the eye of three tomatoes – check out the video to see how I use my knife to quickly remove the eye with a V cut. I do this to make a more neat salsa. Then deseed your tomatoes.

Slice and finely chop your tomatoes, again the finer the better.

Add a tablespoon of fresh lime juice – I only had lemons in when I filmed this.

Add a handful of fresh chopped coriander and finely sliced red chilli – seeds and all (I removed some for the children first).

Finally season and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Tip 2: Make my no fuss guacamole

My top tips for fajitas are all about flavour and speed. If I can urge you to do one thing to bring your fajitas to life it is to make your own guacamole. It couldn’t be more simple! I have used this recipe for years. It’s quick and the kids love it. Again I was all out of lime for this video but it is the only way to get the best results so be sure to have them in if you can. I sometimes make this guac for packed lunches and when I do I add the juice of an additional lime to keep it fresh and bright green.

How to make my no fuss guacamole

Finely chop half an onion and add it to a big bowl.

Destone three ripe avocados and scoop the flesh in to the bowl with the onion.

Mash the avocado and onion together. I like my guac to be chunky but you can keep going until it’s smooth if you like.

Add the juice of 1-2 limes (check for taste and add the second if needed)

Chop half a bunch of fresh coriander, add to the bowl and mix. You’re no fuss guac is ready to go!

Tip 3: Get organised

Some of my worst fajita fails have been because I was flapping at the end. It’s usually involved trying to grate cheese and find the jalapeños at the back of the fridge while my onions and peppers overcooked or went cold. Now I don’t turn the flame on (on the stove) until everything else is prepped and ready to go.

If you want to get maximum enjoyment then this top tip for fajitas is crucial. I chop/ slice and prep my onions, peppers and chicken/steak and have them set aside and ready to go. Then I put everything else in bowls ready to serve. I even get the wraps out, on a plate and ready to heat, which is the very last job before we eat. This tip never fails me!

Tip 4: Don’t overcook your chicken

Dry, tough, chewy chicken in your fajitas is just the pits. Don’t do it to yourself… I have, especially when I am multitasking and my attention is on the children. The first thing I cook now is my chicken. I cook it perfectly and then I quickly remove it from the pan. Then I turn the heat up, fry my onions and peppers and add the chicken back in to the pan ready for seasoning at the very end. This means we have juicy, perfectly cooked fajitas with little effort. It’s a top tip I follow every time and it’s a simple but worthy step.

Tip 5: Use an alternative protein

These days chicken or steak fajitas are a treat, mostly we have a vegan/veggie version. It’s a great way to reduce the amount of meat you eat while also keeping a nice variety of legumes and veg in your diet. We started eating a mainly pescatarian diet around a year ago. It means we really enjoy meat when we have it and I feel like I cook with more variety because of it. So my final top tip for epic fajitas is to try an alternative source of protein.

The most important thing for me is the texture. That’s why I dry fry my mushrooms first. This helps to give them great flavour but really crisps them up nicely when you eventually add some olive oil.

Get those mushrooms crispy as possible before you add the onions and peppers then finally add your legumes. I use a tin of black beans in the video but you can use whatever you have in the cupboards: chickpeas, butter beans, kidney beans or even a tin of mixed beans.

Trading time for taste

In our house fajita fail is a thing of the past. We follow these top five tips for fajitas every time we make them. Making your own salsa and guac might sound like extra effort but it couldn’t be more simple. It’s worth trading an extra 15-20 mins prep to get maximum taste. Once you follow our top five tips you won’t go back, it will be epic fajitas for the win.

Everyone has their own tips and tricks when it comes to family favourites we would love to hear about your family’s tips and tricks – get in touch to collaborate. If you use any of our tips we would love you to share them with us on instagram. My sister in law always buzzes off my salsa and guac so she will be made up to have these little recipes in one place after years of me promising to write them down… sorry Han! Here’s to an epic fajita night for us all!