I absolutely love steak salads, pretty much in any form. Here’s an Asian-inspired creation I whipped up yesterday while Marlboro Man and the kids were at the farm. I used things I had in my pantry and fridge, and wound up pretty much eating myself silly.
It was so delicious. And it was really, really easy.
You can make it, too! Here’s what you’ll need.
Olive Oil.
Soy Sauce.
Sugar.
Lime Juice. I was out of limes so I had no choice but to use this. It worked just swimmingly, even though it did expire on February 19.
Fresh Ginger. Who cares if you have to dig to the bottom of your vegetable drawer and all you can find is a shriveled, sad little chunk? Shriveled, sad ginger is better than no ginger.
Garlic.
Fresh jalapeno, baby.
Oh, and one more thing:
You can’t HANDLE the jalapeno.
You’ll also need sherry. Hey—there’s NOTHING wrong with the stuff from the grocery store aisle. Especially if you live in Oklahoma and it’s Sunday and you find you’re out of regular sherry.
Because no one buys real sherry on Sunday in Oklahoma.
Or wine. Or vodka. Or rum. Or whiskey, for that matter.
No—believe me. I’ve tried. But it’s the LAW. And you cain’t beat the law. Least not in Oklahoma on a Sunday, you cain’t.
Oh, and another thing: you’ll never buy real sherry in a grocery store in Oklahoma. Or wine. Or vodka. Or rum. Or whiskey. It’s the law. And you cain’t beat the law. In Oklahoma, we have to risk being seen slithering into small establishments with the word “LIQUOR” on a simple sign outside. I swear, it’s a powerful deterrent! These Okies really know what they’re doing.
Oh, and in Oklahoma you can’t buy liquor after 9:00 p.m.
Thank you for listening.
Brown sugar.
You need a steak. Ribeye. Strip. Sirloin. Any steak will do.
Green onions.
And these. Cherry tomatoes. They’re optional.
You also need salad greens: baby lettuces, radicchio, endive, etc. This is the stuff from the bag! I generally don’t buy salad-in-a-bag, especially when it comes to more mainstream lettuces like green leaf or romaine. But I really like these specialty greens that come in a bag—they’re always yummy, and I’m not going to get specialty greens any other way in March.
Okay! First let’s make the dressing for the salad—then you can let it sit for awhile.
THE DRESSING:
In a bowl, measure 2 tablespoons olive oil…
2 tablespoons soy sauce…
2 tablespoons sugar…
1 tablespoon lime juice…
Then chop up 2 cloves of garlic…
And add it to the mix.
Then, with a sharp knife, slice off the skin of the ginger…
Cut the ginger into julienne strips…
The cut the ginger into a fine dice.
And throw it into the bowl with the other ingredients.
Give it a quick whisk. You can stop here, if you’d like…
Or you can keep going.
You know you want to keep going.
You know you want to cut this jalapeno in half…
And cut out the white membranes and seeds.
And you know you want to chop them up and add them to the bowl. You can handle it. You can.
Sorry about the lighting in that photo. Freaky.
Now just set the dressing aside until later.
THE MEAT:
In a large Ziploc bag, pour 2 tablespoons soy sauce…
1 tablespoon sherry…
Another clove of chopped garlic…
And 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
Squeeze the bag to mix it together…
Then stick the steak inside.
Seal the bag and let it marinate for 30 minutes to an hour…or even fifteen minutes, if you’re really starving.
Okay, when it’s done marinating we need to cook the steak. Just pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a hot skillet…
Then throw the steak into the pan.
Don’t overcook the steak—go for medium-rare, which, on a hot skillet, is probably about 1 1/2 minutes per side for a steak this thick.
When it’s done, remove the steak to a plate while you prepare the salad.
Pour about 3/4 of the salad dressing over the lettuce…
And gently toss it to coat.
Throw the steak on a cutting board…
And cut it into really thin slices. Then, because you’re into flavor and excess like me, pour the juices from the plate over the top of the meat.
I don’t like to waste any flavor.
Heap the tossed salad on a pretty platter (or individual plates).
And, using a spatula, transfer the steak to the top of the salad, distributing it evenly over the top.
Mmmmm.
Now drizzle the remaining salad dressing over the top.
Slice up the green onions…
And sprinkle them over the top.
You can serve as-is, OR…
You can throw some cherry tomatoes into the mix for more color and flavor.
I swear, these cherry tomatoes had some kind of drug in them. They were SO delicious. Succulent.
Not bad for a throw-together pantry meal made with a piece of shriveled ginger!
Give this one a try, my friends. It was an immensely satisfying meal: flavorful, satisfying, and relatively light. And best of all, it was a cinch to make!
Hope you enjoy.
Love,
Pioneer Woman
