Lean and flavorful flank steaks are slow cooked with onions and peppers in a lime-shallot-garlic-paprika-cumin marinade. The long soak gives the meat amazing flavor before it’s sliced and served on crisp romaine lettuce with a tomato-avocado salsa.
Serves 6
Prep: 50 minutes
Slow Cook: 6 hours (low) or 3 hours (high)
Total: 6 hours 50 minutes
2 beef flank steaks (1 pound each)
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon avocado oil
¼ cup finely chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 medium red onion, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
3 medium red, green, or yellow bell peppers, quartered
1 medium avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and chopped
¾ cup quartered cherry tomatoes or chopped seeded tomatoes
¼ cup thinly sliced green onion tops
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Using a sharp knife, score the flank steaks on both sides with shallow diagonal cuts 1 inch apart. Place the steaks in a large shallow baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of the lime juice, ¼ cup of the oil, the shallots, garlic, paprika, and cumin. Pour over the steaks in the baking dish, turning to coat the steaks all over with the marinade. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once. (For even more flavor, marinate the steaks, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.)
Place the red onion slices in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with the marinated steaks. Top the steaks with the peppers. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 3½ hours.
In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, remaining 1 tablespoon avocado oil, the avocado, tomatoes, green onion tops, salt, and cayenne.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peppers and onions to a cutting board; cut the peppers into thin strips. Transfer the steaks to the cutting board; thinly slice across the grain. Arrange the lettuce on six serving plates. Top with the beef, pepper strips, onion slices, guacamole, and cilantro.