Bistec Encebollado — Print Recipe

Thin-cut beef steaks marinated in garlic and vinegar, pan-fried and smothered in caramelized onions and a savory tomato-based sauce.

Ingredients

4 thin-cut beef steaks (about 150g each)
3 onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato sauce
Salt, pepper, and adobo seasoning
1 bay leaf

Instructions

1 Pound steaks thin with a meat mallet. Season with garlic, vinegar, adobo, salt, and pepper. Marinate thirty minutes.
2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sear steaks two minutes per side until browned. Remove and set aside.
3 In the same skillet, add sliced onions and cook over medium heat until soft and caramelized, about ten minutes.
4 Add tomato sauce and bay leaf to the onions. Stir and cook two minutes.
5 Return steaks to the skillet, nestling them into the onions. Cover and cook five minutes on low heat.
6 Serve steaks smothered in the caramelized onions with rice and beans on the side.

Did You Know?

Bistec encebollado is the dish that most Puerto Rican children request when visiting their grandmother, and the aroma of onions cooking is deeply nostalgic for islanders living abroad.