20-Minute Steak Salad with Chile, Garlic, and Herbs

published Aug 6, 2019

This easy steak salad gets an umami hit from fish sauce, sherry vinegar, and lime juice tossed through a mix of crunchy veg, and is finished with fresh herbs.

Serves4

Prep10 minutes to 15 minutes

Cook8 minutes to 10 minutes

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I don’t often cook with steak, but when I do, I think of fast for best results. Grass-fed skirt steak and flank steak are both great cuts for this type of cooking — they’re thinner and benefit from a short but roaring sear in a cast iron pan. Once the meat rests, it’s unbelievably tender when sliced thinly.

This recipe gets an umami hit from fish sauce, sherry vinegar, and lime juice tossed with a mix of crunchy and tender veg, and is finished with scattered fresh herbs. This dish is so delicious it made a convert out of my own mother, who never eats steak. It’s a perfect filling-but-refreshing meal on a hot summer day.

Credit: Melina Hammer/Kitchn

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This easy steak salad gets an umami hit from fish sauce, sherry vinegar, and lime juice tossed through a mix of crunchy veg, and is finished with fresh herbs.

Prep time 10 minutes to 15 minutes

Cook time 8 minutes to 10 minutes

Serves 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds
flank or skirt steak, cut in half along the grain
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons
canola oil, divided
5 cloves
garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon
plus 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons
sherry vinegar
1
medium lime, halved
1 1/2 cups
green beans, thinly sliced crosswise
1
cherry or jalapeño pepper, cored, seeds removed, thinly sliced
1/2 head
butter or gem lettuce, leaves separated
2 to 3 sprigs
fresh mint
2 to 3 sprigs
fresh basil

Instructions

Generously season the steak with salt and pepper on both sides. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before cooking.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, swirl to coat, and immediately add 1 steak. Sear undisturbed until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes, reducing the heat to medium-high if needed.
Flip the steak and add the garlic. Keep garlic slices at the colder region of the pan while steak sears, turning the garlic occasionally for even browning. Sear the steak for 1 to 2 minutes more for medium rare.
Transfer the steak to a clean plate to rest, and place the garlic in a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, swirl to coat, and repeat searing with second steak. Meanwhile, add the fish sauce, sherry vinegar, juice from 1 lime halve, and several grinds of black pepper to the bowl with the garlic and whisk to combine.
Let the second steak rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile, add the green beans and sliced chili to the vinaigrette and stir to combine.
Slice the steak across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices. Transfer any accumulated juices to the vinaigrette bowl.
Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter, then top with the sliced steak. Top with green bean mixture, then tear the mint and basil leaves over the green beans. Garnish with more black pepper and a squeeze of lime from the remaining lime halve.