The pepito might be one of the lesser known of the Mexican tortas but it is one of my favorites. This northern Mexican sandwich is served on toasted bolillos (small French rolls), smothered with a tangy, spicy and smoky chipotle crema. The steaks are quick-marinated in lime juice, olive oil and garlic for an easy weeknight skillet torta. But if you have more time, let the steaks marinate for a few hours and fire up the grill for a smokier version of this mouthwatering torta.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 tortas |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/2 pounds flank or skirt steak, cut to fit your skillet
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema, crème fraiche or sour cream
- 1 to 3 canned chipotles in adobo (depending on your heat preference), smashed, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 4 large scallions, trimmed
- 4 Mexican bolillos or hoagie rolls, split and toasted
- 2 ripe avocados, sliced
- 4 to 8 pickled jalapeños, quartered lengthwise
- 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 2 ripe tomatoes (or one large), sliced
Instructions
- Stir together the lime juice, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 of the grated garlic cloves and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl until completely combined. Add the steak, toss to coat and let sit until ready to cook. (Steaks can be marinated for up to 6 hours in the refrigerator, covered tightly with plastic wrap.)
- Stir together the crema, chipotle (1 for mild, 2 for medium, 3 for spicy), adobo and remaining 1 grated garlic clove in a small bowl until completely combined. Let sit until ready to assemble.
- Heat a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Cook the scallions until charred on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside until ready to serve.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the hot skillet and cook the steaks (they will soak up all of the marinade so no need to drain), until charred on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Slice against the grain into thin strips.
- Spread a generous amount of the chipotle crema on the split sides of each bolillo and divide the steak among the 4 bottom bolillos. Top with the sliced avocado, jalapeños and cilantro. Top with the tomatoes and season with salt. Close the sandwiches and serve with the charred scallions.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 271 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 42 mg |
| Sodium | 397 mg |
Reviews
This was fantastic! I’m lucky to live near a Mexican market and I was able to use fresh bolillos and crema. Definitely worth making
I haven’t even made it yet but it’s going to be fantastic, so I’m giving it five stars! I know it’s going to be perfect to cure the 2020 blues.
Love the flavor
Hello, I made the Mexican version of this dish, I put refried black beans on the birote bread, the roasted meat and I put them in the oven to toast and when they came out I filled it with tomato, red onion, romaine lettuce and pickled japenos peppers.
I marinated the steak for 6 hours and I highly recommend that you do too. This was a simple recipe but that flavors work together wonderfully. I will be making this over and over!
I look forward to making this.