Thai Steak Salad

What I feel like eating is usually pretty clear to me, but last night I was fresh out of ideas. Absolutely nothing sounded good, or at least not enough to justify the effort. I was tired and uninspired. So before giving up, I shot Tristan a text and was surprised when he answered in record time with the words “Thai Steak Salad.” Hey, that sounded pretty good to me, too!

This is yet another recipe inspired by my food hero Cynthia Lair. It involves crispy salad greens, thinly sliced flank steak, cilantro and a zesty lime juice dressing – a spectacular combination. As a matter of fact, it’s so tasty that it was the very first meal I made for Tristan 3 ½ years ago. Maybe that’s why we’re still together….

Thai Steak Salad
If you’re trying to impress but don’t want the hassle, this recipe is for you. Feel free to double the dressing and, before adding the sugar, pour half of it over the flank steak to marinate for 2 - 24 hours (then add the sugar to the dressing for the salad). Just remove flank steak from marinade, pat dry and broil as usual. This salad also tastes really good with cucumber and red onion. Crispy egg rolls are a dynamite accompaniment.

Serves 2 as an entree. 

Dressing:  
4 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce (or hot pepper oil)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro, chopped 

1 pound flank steak
Salt & pepper

1 small head lettuce, washed well and spun dry
4 red radishes, sliced thin 
1 avocado, sliced into strips 

Preheat broiler to high and place oven rack about 6 inches below the broiler. 

In the bottom of a large salad bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside.

Season flank steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet/pan and place under the broiler. Broil about 7 minutes per side for medium. Remove from oven, transfer to cutting board and let rest while you assemble the salad.

Place washed and dried salad greens into the bowl with the dressing. Add sliced radishes and toss well. Divide salad among plates (2 large servings if this is the entree) and fan avocado slices around the outside. Slice flank steak against the grain into thin strips. Place slices on top of salad and dig in.