Steak and salad makes an excellent weeknight meal that feels fancy with little effort. The trick is to build layers of flavor in both the meat and side, while keeping the ingredient list and cooking time short.
To boost flavor, a vinaigrette does double duty as a marinade and salad dressing. To this, I add what could be considered an excessive amount of garlic (reduce it to one clove if you’re sensitive), along with a hefty amount of lemon zest. It’s punchy and tangy enough to add flavor to a flank steak in a 10-minute marinade, while also a delicious foil to lettuce and thinly sliced radishes.
To cook the steak, I employ a two-step method: frequent flipping on the stovetop, followed by a stint under a broiler. Starting the steak on the stove ensures that it builds up an exterior crust quickly; moving it to the broiler before the pan really starts to smoke makes the cooking process much more pleasant for you (and your fire alarm). The cooking times in the recipe below are for a medium-rare steak; if you’d like it cooked more than that, increase the time under the broiler, checking the steak’s internal temperature every minute.
Serve the salad alongside the steak, or toss everything together if you prefer a one-bowl meal. Add a few slices of hearty sourdough bread if you need a carb to round out dinner.
Broiled Flank Steak with Punchy Green Salad
1 (1-pound) flank steak
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4-ounce) box pre-washed lettuce blend, preferably a mix of heartier greens such as Little Gem or radicchio
4 radishes, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Season the steak with 1 teaspoon salt and place in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together 6 tablespoons of the olive oil with the lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic. Pour about half of the dressing into the bowl with the steak and stir to coat, reserving the remainder in the large bowl for the salad. Let the steak marinate for 10 minutes.
While the steak marinates, heat the broiler to high with a rack in the closest position to the heating element.
After 10 minutes of marinating, heat the remaining oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry. Discard the marinade. When the oil is shimmering, add the steak and cook, flipping every minute, until beginning to brown on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to the broiler and continue to cook until the center of the steak registers 125 to 130 degrees for medium-rare, 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
While the steak rests, add the lettuce blend and radishes to the large bowl with the dressing. Season with the remaining salt and the pepper to taste. Toss well.
Thinly slice the steak against the grain and serve with the salad.
Serves 4.
Per serving: 400 calories (percent of calories from fat, 72), 25 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 32 grams total fat (7 grams saturated), 74 milligrams cholesterol, 420 milligrams sodium.
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