Description
When spring and summer hit, I am all about steak salad with pickled red onions and bleu cheese. A fantastic, healthier meal option for brunch, lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 Campari tomatoes, quartered
- 2 Petite New York sirloin steaks (.85 to 1 pound each and about 3/4” to 1” thickness)
- Salt and pepper to season the steak (a light dusting on both sides)
- 1 large head of Romaine lettuce, chopped
- 3/4 cup of Bobby Flay's Pickled Red Onions, more if you want
- 1 teaspoon or so of Canola oil for pan (Vegetable oil ok too)
- 1 5-ounce container of crumbled bleu cheese
- 2 avocados, chopped
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette (makes ¾ cup):
- 1/2 clove of garlic, finely diced
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste (just a pinch here)
- Small sprig of rosemary (optional)
Instructions
- Start by making a quick and easy balsamic vinaigrette. In a small bowl or mason jar add the following ingredients: finely diced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt and pepper. If you’re using the optional sprig of rosemary add that too. Put the lid on jar and shake it. If using a bowl, whisk until well combined. Set aside for later.
- Quarter the Campari tomatoes. I used Campari because they were on sale. You can use any kind of tomato (see note#1).
- Put your steaks on a cutting board or sheet pan and season with salt and pepper. A light dusting of each on both sides of the steak. Also, sprinkle a little salt around the edges too. Set aside a few minutes. My video shows this well.
- Chop one large head of Romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces of lettuce and put in a large mixing bowl.
- The pickled red onions. As stated above – make these the day before and take them out of the refrigerator so they are ready to go when you assemble your salads.
- Use one pan for each steak (see note#2 for specifics). Put a splash of neutral oil in each pan and heat on medium. Place steaks in the pans and let cook for 4 minutes on medium/high. I did press on the steaks with a fork (once, not continuously) just to ensure all the steak was touching the pan on the bottom.
- After 4 minutes, turn the steaks and cook about 3 more minutes for medium rare-to-medium (mine were more towards medium because I like it that way). Cook slightly less when you turn the steaks if you want it more rare.
- Once cooked to your liking, transfer steaks to a plate or sheet pan that has a lip. As the steaks rest they will produce juice and you can use that to pour back onto the steak strips once you slice them.
- While the steaks are resting you can finish the prep. Steaks should rest at least 5 minutes and ideally 10 minutes.
- Cut your avocados into chunks. It’s best to do this right before serving. I also lightly salt my avocado – just a light sprinkling of salt here.
- Shake the balsamic vinaigrette and pour some into the large bowl of chopped Romaine lettuce. I like to use just enough to lightly coat the lettuce. Mix well with your kitchen tongs. You’ll have extra dressing for use another time. Yay!
- Plan your timing and when the steaks have rested, slice them into strips. I portioned mine out on a sheet pan. Fours steaks means about half a steak per person. You can pour some of the juices on the steak after you’ve sliced it if you want.
- ASSEMBLE THE SALADS: Divide lettuce into four bowls or plates, add four tomato chunks per bowl, the pickled red onions, steak slices, bleu cheese and avocado.
Equipment
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T-fal Non-Stick Pans (set of 3)
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Ball Wide-Mouth Mason Jars (pint)
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Buy Now → Notes
- Campari tomatoes are small so I was able to quarter them and put four pieces in each salad. If you are using a larger tomato you may not need four tomatoes – maybe just two. You are smart and will figure it out.
- I used one cast iron skillet and one Teflon pan for this so you could see that either way you can get a great crust on your steak. The cast iron skillet will take a little longer to heat up though. Here’s the breakdown. CAST IRON SKILLET: Let the pan heat on medium heat for a few minutes – in the last minute add a splash of canola or vegetable oil and spread around pan. Add steak and turn heat to medium/high. TEFLON PAN: Heat the pan on medium heat with oil in it for a couple of minutes, then turn to medium-high heat and add the steak.
- You can make Bobby Flay’s Pickled Red Onions the day before or the week before if you like. They will last about three weeks total in the fridge.