Flank Steak Salad with Fresh Pepper Pico

~Chef Perry Perkins~

Did you know that new research indicates that eating red meat every other day (instead of daily)
can significantly reduce your heart disease risk, too…that sounds pretty good, huh? So, unless
you’re eating it every single day (which is doubtful), you can stop stressing about an occasional
red meat meal–especially when it’s a lean cut, like the one below.

Flank Steak Salad with Fresh Pepper Pico

4-6 slices freshly grilled flank steak*
1 cup mixes greens
1 Tbs balsamic vinaigrette
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 small avocado
1/4 cup Fresh Pepper Pico*

*Recipes follow

In a large bowl, toss salad greens with salt, pepper, then vinaigrette. Transfer green to your inner plate or bowl, and top with (separately) pico, sliced avocado, and flank steak strips.

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper (to taste), and serve.

The Recipes

Grilled Flank Steak

The flank steak, also known as bavette, is a beef steak cut from the abdominal muscles of the cow. It is long, thin, and full of tough connective tissue.

It is usually marinated before being broiled or grilled whole. Because it is tough, you usually slice it thinly
on a diagonal across the grain to sever the tough fibers and make the flavorful steak chewable.

I’ve found that if I cook it quickly, over the hottest fire I can manage, I don’t need a marinate, and get more the true beef flavor. For my money, this is one of the best tasting cuts on the cow.

2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak

In a small bowl, mix the salt, garlic, and ground black pepper.

Place meat in a shallow glass dish and rub both sides with spices. Cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours.

Preheat grill for high heat, and oil the grill grate.

Place steak on the grill, directly over the hottest part of the fire. Grill meat for 3 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. You want a nice char for flavor, but don’t flip more than once.

Move meat to a warm plate, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest for ten minutes before slicing thinly against the grain (I like to cut on a long bias, as well, to get bigger slices of steak.)

Slice steak strips into thirds, place on finished salad and serve immediately.

Fresh Pepper Pico

Some folks aren’t fans of the heat, like I am…so I developed this recipe to allow me to minimize the fire by cutting out the jalapeno and some of the white onion (yes, some folks find white onion to be “too hot”) but still retain the contrasting crunch of those crisp, raw veggies with the fresh tomatoes. (And it’s purty, too!)

This attempt got major kudos from the “Mild not Wild” portion of the family.

5 fresh Roma tomatoes, chilled and diced
1/2 large white onion, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 large orange bell pepper, diced
2 Tbs fresh squeezed lime juice
2 Tbs fresh minced garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy!

PS ~ leftovers made an AMAZING omelet the next morning! Add some pepper-jack cheese (inside) and topped with a dollop of Mexican crema…very nice!

~Chef Perry

As a third-generation chef, Perry P. Perkins focuses his love of cooking on barbeque, traditional southern fare, and fresh Northwest cuisine.

Perry runs the non-profit organization, MY KITCHEN Outreach Program, which teaches nutrition, shopping, and hands on cooking classes for at risk youth.

His cookbooks include La Caja China Cooking, La Caja China World, La Caja China Party, and the NEW “La Caja China Grill.”

You can follow the rest of Chef Perry’s cooking adventures at ChefPerryPerkins.com