Grilled Steak Salad With Chile and Brown Sugar

By Melissa Clark

Grilled Steak Salad With Chile and Brown Sugar
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
25 minutes, plus marinating
Rating
4(516)
Comments
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In this summery beef salad, pieces of grilled, marinated flank steak and charred red onions are tossed with a mound of spicy greens, avocado and a tangy lime-spiked dressing. Keep the flank steak on the rare side — this lean cut is best when still very juicy — then slice it thinly against the grain for the most tender meat.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 1tablespoon dark brown sugar
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1teaspoon ancho chile powder
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled between fingers
  • ¼teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • ¼teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1½pounds flank steak
  • 1large red onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
  • 1tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
  • 5ounces spicy greens, such as arugula, watercress, baby kale, tatsoi or a mix of greens (about 5 cups)
  • 4radishes, thinly sliced
  • 1scallion, thinly sliced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

492 calories; 32 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 598 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, whisk together half of the grated garlic (reserve the other half for the dressing), sugar, salt, chile powder, oregano, sesame oil and cumin. Add steak and thoroughly coat it with marinade; marinate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the grill to medium-high, or heat the broiler. Grill or broil steak and onion slices, about 2 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. If onions aren’t charred, give them another minute or two while the steak rests.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer steak to a plate and let it rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain (save the juices). Chop onions into bite-sized pieces.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, remaining garlic, a large pinch of salt, and oil. Drizzle a little of the juice from the rested steak into dressing.

  5. Step 5

    Sprinkle avocado with salt. In a large bowl, toss spicy greens, radishes and scallions with just enough dressing to coat it. Gently mix in avocado. Transfer to serving plates and top with the steak and onions.

Ratings

4 out of 5
516 user ratings
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Comments

Sonder

WOW! Made this tonight, and it was delicious! I live in a condo, so no grill, and my oven is electric, so no gas broiler. Made it in a grill pan on the stovetop, finished on a rack in a 450-degree oven to 127 internal temp, then rested. Perfect! Miserable rainy day on the east coast, but dinner tasted like summer! I'm not a fan of sesame oil, but I made this exactly as written. So little sesame oil, its taste couldn't be detected, but it added a nice richness.

Danielle

Skirt, hanger and flatiron steaks are all good substitutes for flank steak.

Eli W

Though it sounds good, I didn't make the salad, just the marinade for the steak. It was delicious, a lovely blend of savory with a nice touch of heat. Definitely will make again. With the recipe measurements I found there wasn't enough marinade paste for just 1.2 lbs of flank, so I recommend increasing by x1.5 or doubling as needed. Needs more oil than just 1/4 tsp of sesame, so I added a tbsp of olive oil and a little Worcestershire, too.

gerim

Made this for my husband’s birthday (he requested it), Came out wonderful, but I did tweak a bit: - added olive oil to the marinade, as it seemed more like a dry rub as written - needed MUCH more time under the broiler, perhaps because the cut of meat I bought was on the thick side - made a side of rice and mushrooms, and added the arugula to that so that it wilted a bit - omitted the radishes, as my husband doesn’t like them Dee-licious!!!

Ellie

Absolutely mad for this dish. Doubled the amount of dressing and added some homemade garlic bread croutons. 10/10; will be making this often.

NameHarriettW

This was a perfect Tuesday night dinner! Followed directions as much as I ever do: added a tablespoon of honey to dressing, added a bit of preserved lemon to avocado, drizzled onion with olive oil, salt & pepper. The onion totally took this over the top — it doesn’t need cheese or pistachio or any of my usual add-ins. This would also be great with pork or shrimp and a pineapple/jalapeño dressing/marinade, maybe chicken with some other combination of flavors.

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