Fajitas Etiquette | Table Manners (2024)

FAQs

What is the proper way to eat fajitas? ›

When you're ready to eat, hold the fajita with one or two hands, using your pinkies to keep the bottom fold of the tortilla in place. Eat your fajita normally, ending your last bite with the folded up end. Use a fork to eat any ingredients that fall onto the plate.

When you are finished, leave your plates in the same position, do not push your plates aside or stack them. Lay you fork and knife diagonally across the plate, side by side, pointing at 10:00 and 4:00 on a clock face. This signifies to the wait staff that you have finished.

The name “fajita” comes from the Spanish word “faja,” which means “belt” or “sash.” This is because the skirt steak used in fajitas is cut from the beef's diaphragm muscle, which is long and thin like a belt.

Corn tortillas go well with Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and tamales. They are also perfect for use in tostadas, sopes, and quesadillas. Flour tortillas are often used in burritos, fajitas, and chimichangas. They are also great for making quesadillas, sweet dishes like dessert tacos, and breakfast burritos.

The number one breach of etiquette at the dinner table is slurping soup. Don't slurp your soup from the spoon or the bowl.

Talking with food in one's mouth is seen as very rude. Licking one's fingers and eating slowly can also be considered impolite. Food should always be tasted before salt and pepper are added.

Fajitas for how many people? Six to eight ounces per person, raw weight, would be a pretty nice portion. Once you include sautéed onions and peppers into the mix, everyone could easily make three to four big fajitas. Three to four big fajitas is plenty of food.

In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers. Popular condiments include shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, refried beans, and diced tomatoes.

In many restaurants, the fajita meat and vegetables are brought to the table sizzling loudly on a metal platter or skillet, along with warmed tortillas and condiments such as guacamole, pico de gallo, queso, salsa, shredded cheese or sour cream.

Are fajitas better on grill or skillet? ›

The quick answer is all will work. If the weather is beautiful and you would like to cook your steak on the grill, that's awesome. If the weather is hot or rainy, or you want to get dinner on the table in a hurry, your grill pan, cast-iron skillet, or regular skillet all will work just fine.

Don't overcook the meat.

Even if you like your meat more well-done, you don't want to have dry steak for fajitas. Medium-rare or maybe medium is perfect and everything nice and juicy without being bloody.

Fajitas are traditionally served on a sizzling cast-iron skillet, which keeps the meat warm and adds to the dish's visual and aural appeal.