Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Spring Veggies

Spring has officially sprung and per usual, I’m obsessing over all the spring produce at the farmer’s market! I’ve been loving this salad lately when I want something fresh and light but with a little more substance (enter: a perfectly seared steak).

I featured this recipe in this week’s Tuesday Tutorial where I walk through tips on how to sear the perfect steak along with some other fun hacks (e.g. using a milk frother to achieve the perfect emulsified dressing without dirtying any major dishes…it may be my best discovery yet!).

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do — it’s becoming a weekly occurrence at our house!

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Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

For the steak:

• 1.5 lbs steak (I prefer New York Strip or boneless Ribeye for this recipe; See notes section for more details)

• Kosher Salt

• Pepper

• Avocado oil (or any high-heat oil)

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

• 4 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt

• Pepper

For the salad:

• 4 heads little gem lettuce

• Leaves from 1 bunch mint

• 1/2 of a small red onion, pickled

• 6 radishes, thinly sliced (I like using a mix of cherry belle — the round red variety you can find at most grocery stores and watermelon radish)

• 1 large bulb fennel, thinly sliced

• 1 Avocado, cubed or sliced

METHOD

1. Cook the steak:

   1. Heat a medium cast iron skillet over high heat for ~3 minutes, or until ripping hot (it should start to smoke). While the skillet it heating up, season your steak generously on all sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Brush all sides with avocado oil.

   2. Drop the steak down into the hot pan and gently press down on the top of it to ensure the full surface area of the steak is making contact with the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side, then flip over for another 2 minutes.

   3. Repeat this flipping and cooking for 2 minutes/side over high heat until the steak is cooked to your desired doneness and has developed a nice brown crust on the outside. I use a instant read thermometer to gauge doneness (see notes section below for different doneness temperatures + tips on checking your steak’s internal temperature). To give you an idea, cook time will range from 5-9 minutes, depending on desired doneness.

   4. Once the steak is cooked, transfer to a plate and tent with aluminum foil to rest for at least 5 minutes. Right before serving the salad, slice the steak against the grain into strips and then cut into bite-size pieces.

2. Make the dressing:

   1. In a bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

   2. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until you’ve added all of it. If you have a hand-held frother, I love using it in place of a normal whisk to get a really thick, emulsified dressing. You can also use a blender or food processor to achieve the same effect.

   3. Taste the dressing for seasoning and add additional salt, if needed.

3. Assemble the salad:

   1. Toss together the steak, little gems (I like full leaves but if they’re too large, you can cut into more bite-size pieces), mint leaves, pickled red onion, radish, fennel and avocado in a large mixing bowl with the dressing, to taste (you may end up with extra dressing which will keep in the fridge!). Taste a piece of lettuce and season with more kosher salt, if needed. Enjoy!

NOTES

• Any boneless, quick-cooking steak that’s about 1-1.5 inches thick is ideal for this recipe. I prefer NY strip steak or ribeye but use what you like!

• To check your steak for doneness, pull it off the flame and onto your plate. Tilt it on its side and stick the thermometer through the side of the steak with the tip of the thermometer in the center of the meat. If you’re newer to cooking steak, the thermometer is your friend - don’t be afraid to pull the steak off the pan and test it a couple of times to gauge where it’s at! Here are the temperatures I recommend pulling the steak out at to reach desired doneness:

  • Rare: 120 degrees

  • Medium Rare: 130 degrees

  • Medium: 140 degrees

  • Medium Well: 150 degrees

  • Well Done: 160 degrees

• This recipe is highly riff-able — for example, you can add cheese (I recommend blue cheese), use whatever veggies you have on hand, use parsley or chives in place of mint, or swap out the little gem lettuce for any of your favorite lettuces. That said, heads of little gems are usually smaller than heads of romaine, for example, so you may need to adjust the amount of lettuce depending on which type you go with.