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Steak Skewers With Peruvian-Style Marinade… So Good!

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You’ve got to try these Peruvian-style steak skewers for your next barbecue! Tender sirloin tidbits, lightly charred and bursting with flavor, smothered with a zesty pepper sauce and placed on a bed of fried potato slices… it’s just a party waiting to happen!

Skewers, known as pinchos in Latin cooking, are fun party food and the stuff of epic summer barbecues. Serve these as tapas or as a main course. Feeding a large crowd? You can add some chicken skewers to the mix and you have yourself quite the feast!

Peruvian Lomo Saltado Marinade

What makes these skewers so delicious is the marinade that’s inspired by a very popular Peruvian dish, called Lomo Saltado (stir fried sirloin). The traditional Peruvian stir fry is made with filet mignon or sirloin strips with onions, tomatoes and french fries served over white rice. You’re probably thinking, “rice and french fries?” The first time my daughter and I tried this dish we thought the potatoes were unnecessary, but these spuds soak up all the sauce and become an integral part of this dish!

Now let’s talk about the sauce… the ingredients in traditional Lomo Saltado include soy sauce, ginger, aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow peppers) and vinegar, which are all included in my marinade. My version also includes fried potato slices because it’s a delivery vehicle for the saucy goodness. The potatoes soak up all the juices from the skewers, which is similar to the french fries soaking up the stir fry sauce. You can also make white rice on the side, if you want the full experience.

Top Your Steak Skewers with Zesty Aji Sauce

But the marinade is just the beginning! The mix of tamari sauce and aji amarillo in the marinade really intensifies the umami goodness of these steak skewers. But as good as it is on its own, you can kick it up a notch by topping your steak skewers with a tangy table sauce made with peppers, parsley, vinegar and onions.

This is similar to the ají de la casa sauce served with skewers at a local Peruvian restaurant me and the kids love, Pisco y Nazca. I haven’t cracked the code on all that is in this sauce, but my version gives the steak skewers that same intense, tangy, peppery flavor that makes me want to drink up the sauce.

Peruvian peppers are the main ingredient in this sauce, but I didn’t have fresh ones on hand, so I improvised with jalapeño and Fresno peppers instead. The other ingredients include garlic, shallots, olive oil, red wine vinegar, tomatoes, and lots of finely chopped parsley. You can also use it as a marinade, like I did in my Peruvian-style chicken skewers.

BBQ Good Times

There’s just something so fun about hanging out in your patio or backyard grillin’ and chllin’ with friends! While the skewers are cooking you can enjoy a little sangria or mojitos with tapas. In Miami, we can do this year-round, but we tend to avoid the summer months (too hot to handle!).

I hope you give these steak skewers a try for you next backyard party. Then, tell me all about it!

Steak Skewers With Peruvian-Style Marinade

Author: Sandi Abbott
Prep Time: 9
Cook Time: 45
Total Time: 54 minutes
Category: dinner
Method: grilling
Cuisine: Peruvian

Print Recipe

Description

Try these steak skewers made with sirloin, lightly charred and topped with a zesty pepper sauce and placed on a bed of fried potato slices.

Ingredients

Scale

4 lbs top sirloin

2 tablespoons crushed garlic

½ cup olive oil

½ cup tamari (or use low-sodium soy sauce)

⅓ cup red wine vinegar

1 inch piece of ginger (about 1 tablespoon grated)

1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon oregano

Wooden bamboo skewers

Aji Sauce

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup cherry tomatoes, salted and roughly chopped

½ bushel flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, with stems removed

½ Fresno pepper, finely diced and seeded (you can use more if you like spicy)

½ Jalapeño pepper, finely diced and seeded

1 shallot, finely diced

2 tablespoons crushed garlic, (that’s about one head of garlic, maybe more depending on the size)

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Make the Aji Sauce

Roughly chop the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with salt and drain on paper towels. While the tomatoes are draining, pull out a mixing bowl so you can throw in the ingredients as you prep them.

Wash the parsley and dry with paper towels to remove excess water. Then remove the stems and finely chop. To remove the stems, you can use an herb stem stripper or just pinch the stem as you pull on the leaves with your other hand. Finely chop the parsley and add to the mixing bowl.

Cut the Fresno and jalapeño peppers in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and finely chop half of each one. Save the rest for later. Throw the diced peppers into the mixing bowl. Make sure to wash your hands after you’ve handled the peppers and do not touch your eyes!

Marinade & Skewers

Mix all the other ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Place the steak chunks in a shallow glass dish or a ziploc bag and cover with the marinade.

Marinate the steak for four hours or overnight. If the steaks are not fully submerged, make sure to turn them halfway through the marinating time.

Soak the skewers in water for at least two hours before grilling.

Grill the Steak

Cut the steak into 2 inch cubes.

Set the grill to the highest heat and let it preheat for at least ten minutes, preferably twenty. Place the skewers in the center. Cook until the meat gets nice and caramelized, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until it’s caramelized. This should take about five to eight minutes, but times will vary based on your grill, so use the times provided as a guide.

Notes

Plating Deliciousness: I love to serve these skewers on a bed of fried potato slices. Place 3-4 potato slices in a row and top with one skewer. Spoon the aji sauce on top and you’re good to go. I usually serve these on a cutting board or long serving platter. It’s quite impressive!

Serving Suggestions: Serve these skewers with a tossed salad or grilled veggies.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 8

Keywords: pinchos, steak skewers, beef skewers, steak pinchos

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Grilled Skirt Steak Chimichurri Makes A Great BBQ

Leave a Comment / BBQ, DINNER / Beef, Recipes

Hands down, grilled skirt steak churrasco with Chimichurri is a crowd-pleasing BBQ combo! Skirt steak is an excellent cut of beef to grill. It cooks quickly and packs a great taste, especially if you use chimichurri to marinate the steak. Unlike other steaks, skirt steak really absorbs the marinade because it’s thin enough to penetrate, and the meat has a lot of ridges for the marinade to cling to.

What is Churrasco Steak

Churrasco is the Spanish and Portuguese name for grilled meat, and it’s a common dish of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. I had my first churrasco steak at a local steakhouse in Miami that served it with a side of chimichurri sauce, a very popular Argentine sauce served with grilled meats and sausages. It was love at first bite for me!

The cuts of meat commonly used for churrasco are outside skirt steak and flank steak. Inside skirt steak can be used too, but it’s a bit tougher. I use inside skirt sometimes because it’s cheaper and it’s still a good cut. I actually used inside skirt for my grilled skirt steak churrasco recipe and it was delicious! Cook’s Illustrated has a great explanation for why skirt steak should be grilled.

I used one and a half pounds of skirt steak for this recipe for four hungry people (we should have had some leftovers, but we didn’t). For entertaining, my rule of thumb is a half pound per person.

Chimichurri Sauce Is The Best Marinade

This sauce is super easy to make and so versatile and tasty you’ll be putting it on more than just skirt steak chimichurri! I used it to marinade and also added a bit more on top (my son thought it was overkill but he doesn’t understand my chimichurri love).

Chimichurri sauce is made with finely chopped parsley, olive oil, garlic and vinegar. You can have some flavor variations. My version also has cilantro along with the parsley and uses lemon instead of vinegar. I also had to add a little cumin and smoked paprika because I love that flavor combo too. Here’s a link to my Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce. You can use it as a marinade and a table sauce. Make an extra batch and serve it with plantain chips as the meat is grilling.

Grill and Party On

Grilled Skirt Steak Churrasco and chimichurri makes for a great BBQ party for summer (or year-round in Miami!). The steaks grill in minutes, so you can spend more time with your guests than your grill. Add some grilled veggies and some good crusty bread to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a party.

I usually make a pot of Congri Rice to go with this because I’m Cuban, and that’s what we do, and it’s so delicious too! You can make the congri rice in advance and just reheat it when the meat is ready for no-fuss entertaining.

Since we’re just starting the summer, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to try out this recipe. I hope you enjoy it to the very last bite!!