Grilled Steak with Mojo Sauce

Mojo is a Cuban sauce/marinade made with lime and orange juices and flavored with garlic and cumin. I love the combination of tastes used here, so I usually double the recipe and use the other half to dress up a salad, a stir-fry of vegetables, or as Steven Raichlen does in his book All American Grilling, some grilled sweet Vidalia onions. There are different recipes for mojo; Raichlen cooks his garlic and cumin in the oil before adding the juice mixture. After making several versions of this, I like the approach of mixing all the ingredients in a blender AND cooking some garlic slices in oil for topping the steaks. The freshness and bite of garlic in the sauce plus the texture of sauteed garlic gives it a nice punch.

Grilled Steak with Mojo Sauce

1 large clove of garlic, minced to a paste with a large pinch of salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
the zest from 1 orange
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika, optional
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly crosswise
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro/Chinese parsley

6 thin sirloin steaks (8 ounces each)
Oil for brushing the grill

Combine garlic paste, lime juice, orange zest, orange juice, salt, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in a blender. When well-combined, add 1/2 cup of the olive oil and blend until smooth. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and saute until garlic has just turned golden. Remove garlic from the oil and drain on paper towels. Add the juice/oil mixture to the oil in the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and let the mojo cool to room temperature. Add cilantro and mix well. At this point, reserve half the sauce for dressing if desired.

In a baking dish, marinate steaks in the mojo for 1 to 2 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute flavors.

Clean and prepare grill. When hot, brush the grates with oil. Remove steaks from marinade and pat dry. The marinade can be discarded at this point, or boil in a saucepan for 5 minutes to serve as sauce later. Grill steaks over high heat until medium rare, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a platter, top with reserved mojo sauce if desired, and sprinkle with the sauteed garlic.

Variations: Add a hot pepper (chopped and seeds discarded), or 1/2 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes, to the sauce blend to kick things up a notch! You can also use this sauce for grilled shrimp or fish.