Chipotle Portobello Mushroom Fajitas + Homemade Salsa

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that just about every day there is a food holiday being celebrated. Last week we celebrated National Watermelon Day, as well as National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (I thought that was every day…) and the week prior was National Avocado Day. Combine all of these various food holidays with weekly Meatless Monday and Taco Tuesday, and you’ve basically got dinner figured out for the remainder of the year. I thought it was appropriate that since this coming Saturday is National Fajita Day, or so I’m told, that I share with you guys my favorite chipotle portobello mushroom fajitas.

While I enjoy eating tacos on Cinco de Mayo and I grew up eating corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m not one to go out of my way in the kitchen for each and every food holiday. Although I will say that I need very little reason to make chocolate chip cookies. To help you out, I came across this calendar that lists all the food and drink holidays for 2018. Some of the days are a bit silly- does bologna really need its own day?-  while others, I wish I would have known about- yes, I’m talking about National Wine and Cheese Day.

This recipe is inspired by my favorite chipotle portobello mushroom fajitas from a local Tex-Mex restaurant that closed several years ago. I’ve always loved fajitas, but to be honest, the majority of the time regardless of where you’re ordering them from, they tend to all taste the same. And that’s what made these fajitas different. The chipotle flavor stood out, the peppers and onions weren’t charred and overcooked, and the tortillas were made fresh.

In my molcajete, I ground up a marinade for the portobello’s using chipotle peppers, toasted spices, garlic, lime, and cilantro. Along with the mushrooms, I sauteed yellow squash, strips of poblano pepper, and thin-sliced onion. I created a fresh salsa using seasonal tomatoes and jalapenos that is simple and is now my go-to salsa for dipping chips, as well as spooning over my tacos. And just before serving, I drizzled the fajitas with a chipotle-lime sour cream.

I made this recipe in a cast iron skillet on the stove, as well as on a charcoal grill. Both methods have delicious results, but I found that more of the chipotle flavor from the marinade was retained in a skillet.

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Chipotle Portobello Mushroom Fajitas

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

Smoky chipotle portobello mushroom fajitas enjoyed in a warm, flour tortilla with yellow squash, poblano peppers, and onions. Topped with fresh, seasonal salsa and a chipotle-lime sour cream. 

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 2

Author: Caitlin

Ingredients

Portobello Mushrooms

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 medium portobello mushrooms, wiped clean
• 1 Tbsp sunflower oil, or other high heat oil

Fajita Vegetables

• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow squash, trimmed and cut into half-moons
• 1 Tbsp sunflower oil, or other high heat oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 chipotle pepper, chopped, seeded if preferred
• 1 Tbsp canned adobo sauce
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• pinch sea salt

For Serving

• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 tsp sunflower oil, or other high heat oil
• homemade tomato salsa (recipe below)
• lime wedges

Instructions

1. To make the marinade for the portobello mushrooms, combine the garlic, chipotle peppers, dried spices, cilantro, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a molcajete and grind together until you have a paste. Brush the marinade on both sides of the mushrooms, make sure to thoroughly coat the gills, cover and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour. 

2. Meanwhile, prepare the other vegetables by tossing with the oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. 

3. In a small bowl, mix together everything listed under the chipotle-lime sour cream and store in the fridge until fajitas are ready. 

4. After an hour, remove mushrooms from the fridge and cut into 1/2" slices. Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced portobello mushroom and saute, stirring constantly for 5-7 minutes, until mushrooms have released their juices and are browned. Remove mushrooms from the pan and keep warm.

5. In the same pan, over medium-high heat, add the fajita vegetables. Saute the vegetables, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes. Remove vegetables as they brown to prevent overcooking. Set aside and keep warm. 

6. To serve, brush both sides of the flour tortillas with oil. On low heat, place tortillas directly over the flame of your gas burner. Watch carefully to make sure the tortillas get a nice char but don't burn. Use tongs to flip and once charred, keep warm wrapped in aluminum foil. 

7. Fill tortillas with mushrooms and fajita veggies. Top each with a drizzle of chipotle-lime sour cream, homemade tomato salsa, and a squeeze of lime juice. 

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Simple Homemade Tomato Salsa

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

This is your go-to salsa recipe. Perfect for dipping chips in, spooning over tacos, and enjoyed with nachos. Made with seasonal tomatoes and jalapeños, it doesn't get fresher than this.

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Caitlin

Ingredients

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 large jalapeño, seeded if preferred, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well. Season to taste, adding more lime juice or salt as needed.

2. Pour 1/2 of the salsa mixture into a blender and blend for 1-2 minutes, or until nearly pureed. 

3. Add the pureed salsa back to the bowl with the remaining salsa and stir together. Taste again for seasoning. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 1 week. 

Notes

I like heat, but when making a new recipe I prefer to seed half the amount of peppers the recipe calls for, in order to not let things get too spicy. This recipe has a bit of a kick, so seed peppers as needed.