Skirt Steak Salad with Parsley Vinaigrette

With warm weather, sunny days and a muggy house, I find myself craving cold foods and meals that are crisp and refreshing. I also try to limit firing up the stove or oven as much as possible to reduce adding any more heat to the house. It’d be ideal to have a grill, even a little Hibachi, but we don’t — at least not yet (to all my family members that read my blog, this would make a great Christmas or birthday gift sometime!).

The other day, when the temperature was in the 90s, I made up my mind that we were having steak salad for dinner. I really wanted to try skirt steak and thought it’d be a simple way to give it a go. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever had skirt steak … maybe at some point when I was growing up, but I wouldn’t have known it (Mom, did you ever make skirt steak?). Then I was vegetarian for about 10 years, so if I have had it, it’s been well over a decade.

I took inspiration from Mark Sisson’s, zesty steak salad recipe in his cookbook, Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals, but changed it a bit based on what I had available and the flavor I was going for. It turned out delicious and extremely satisfying. I loved the skirt steak too … it is SO flavorful!

Please know, this recipe yields two entree-sized servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 small head green leaf lettuce, sliced into bite-sized leaves
• 1/2 C grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 an avocado, sliced
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/2 tsp for steak
• 1/2-1 tsp Dijon mustard, plus 1 Tbsp for steak
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/8 tsp honey
• 1/2 lb skirt steak (flank steak or top round sirloin will work too)

Directions:

1. Wash lettuce, tomatoes and parsley in salad spinner and spin dry.
2. Slice or tear lettuce leaves and add to a bowl. Slice tomatoes and avocado and add to lettuce. Chop parsley and set aside.
3. For the parsley vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, 1/2-1 tsp Dijon mustard, honey and salt and pepper to taste. Add in chopped parsley and mix well. Drizzle over lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado.
4. Smear 1 Tbsp of mustard plus 1/2 tsp olive oil over both sides of the steak. Salt the steak lightly and sear in a pan over very high heat, or grill on high. It should only take a few minutes on each side (I did 3 minutes per side and it came out medium-well). Remove from heat and thinly slice. Combine with lettuce. Season with black pepper if desired.

Lettuce, grape tomatoes and avocado.

Parsley vinaigrette.

Skirt steak searing in the pan.

Skirt steak salad with parsley vinaigrette.