vegan fajitas? Yes, please!
No introductions needed.
Who doesn’t know fajitas, this sizzling, spiced dish with punchy flavors hailing from Mexico and popularized by Tex-Mex fusion cuisine. Instead of flank steak, this recipe uses strips if portobello mushroom caps marinated in lime and spices to impart tons of flavor.
Coriander, cumin, garlic, chili flakes, lime juice…
Sweltering hot cast iron griddle…
and then a feast.
Vegan is more than just salads, I promise you.
Prep Time: 20 min | Chill Time: 3-4 hrs | Cook Time: 15 min |Serves: 4
Ingredients
mushroom fajitas
- 4 large portobello mushroom caps
- 3 large limes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp piri piri pepper flakes
- 3 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seed
- 2 tsp Mexican oregano, dried
- 4 or 5 cloves
- 1 tsp Hawaiian black salt
grilled veggies
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 large beefsteak tomato
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
optional extras
Corn tortillas
Sour cream
Guacamole
Pico de gallo
Method
On a cutting board, slice the mushroom caps into ½” thick strips and place in a wide tray with a tall lip. Put the peeled garlic cloves, spices, chili flakes, and salt into a mortar and pestle and pound to form a poultice. Juice the limes and add the juice to the poultice. Mix with a spoon to combine all the ingredients. Pour the marinade over the mushroom strips and rub with your fingers. Chill for 3 to 4 hours.
Warm up a cast iron griddle over high heat.
Slice the bell pepper into ½” thick strips and discard the seeds. Peel and cut the onion into ½” thick rounds. Cut the tomato into 2” chunks. Heat up 1 tbsp of oil on the griddle and when hot grill the bell pepper for 2 minutes, add the onion and cook for another 2, and last add the tomato. Let the veggie sizzle until slightly charred, 3 to 4 more minutes, and remove from the griddle. Set aside and season with salt.
On the same griddle, heat up 1 tbsp of oil and char the marinated mushrooms, with the lime marinade, for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with the grilled vegetable and warm tortillas, plus any (or all) of the suggested toppings.
EXTRAS AND TIPS
In the column next to the ingredient list, I’m providing suggested toppings to the mushroom fajitas, although they taste nice without any additions. To me, fajitas + tortillas + sauces = heaven of a meal.
Even tough the recipe calls for mushroom caps only, you can add the stems to the grilled veggies to minimize waste. I do include the stems when I make the fajitas for our family, and leave them out when cooking for others, as some people can be fussy about the stems.
Swap out piri piri chili flakes for scotch bonnet of habanero flakes if you have difficulty prcuring them.
For the salt, I suggest that you use a salt with a light smoked/sulphur profile in the marinade, like Hawaiian or Icelandic volcanic salt. I enjoy experimenting with different salt flavors, and find that, in this recipe, the lime, spices, and black salt combination elevates the marinade and therefore the resulting dish. Use regular table salt if you can’t get a hold of any gourmet black salts.
