After a very long winter here on the east coast, things are finally warming up! We celebrated by buying flowers at a neighborhood plant sale and planting them in our garden.
Then Denis whipped up the grill. With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, I thought I would share a Mexican inspired steak salad recipe. It’s loosely based around my Asian one, which was a finalist in the 2006 Cooking Light Magazine Reader Recipe Contest and appears in the 2008 Cooking Light Annual Recipe Cookbook.
I first prepared the flank steak by rubbing it with an Ancho Chili Spice mix that I made and let the steak sit at room temperature for about an hour. I scored the surface of the flank steak diagonally, making a diamond pattern. This is to prevent the met from curling when it’s exposed to high heat. Then I inserted garlic slivers in the cuts.
While the meat was resting, I made a Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette and put together the salad.
Denis grilled the Ancho Rubbed steak on each side for about 4 minutes on a very hot grill, then 5 minutes over indirect heat. This is for medium well. If you want it to be more rare, cook in less time, and keep checking the resistance of the meat to touch.
After tenting the steak for about five minutes to let the juices redistribute, I sliced it on the bias and served with the salad and drizzled the vinaigrette on top.
Ancho Chili Rubbed Grilled Flank Steak Salad
For steak:
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ancho chili powder (if you can’t find this, regular chili powder would work)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 lb. flank steak, trimmed of fat
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1. Mix salt, brown sugar, chili powder, ground cumin, and smoked paprika together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Score diagonal lines across both sides of flank steak. Rub with spice mixture on each side. Insert garlic slivers in cuts. Let rest for 30-60 minutes.
3. While meat is resting, prepare grill with the coals on one side. Brush one side of meat with olive oil. Sear about 4 minutes over direct heat. Flip and brush with more oil. Sear for another 4 minutes then move to the indirect heat side and let cook for about three to five minutes, depending on how cooked you like your meat.
4. Tent meat and let rest for five to ten minutes. Slice on the bias and serve.
For the dressing:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 1 clove)
1 teaspoon lime zest (from one lime)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup heaping tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup tablespoons olive oil
1. Mix garlic, zest, lime juice, vinegar, salt, sugar, and cilantro together. Slowly add olive oil to mixture while stirring. Set aside
For Salad:
8 cups mesclun greens
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, cubed
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup steamed frozen corn kernals
cilantro for garnish
1/2 cup crumbled cojito cheese
Ancho Rubbed Grilled Flank Steak, sliced thinly on the bias
1. Toss greens, onion, avocado, tomatoes, black beans and corn together. Top with sliced grilled steak. Garnish with more cilantro and crumbled cojito cheese.
Makes 4 servings, with extra dressing.
