Sweet and Salty Grilled Steak With Cucumber Salad

Updated June 15, 2020

Sweet and Salty Grilled Steak With Cucumber Salad
Evan Sung for The New York Times
Total Time
25 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes' marinating
Rating
5(3,913)
Comments
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The marinade on this steak is inspired by a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce called nuoc cham. Since it consists mostly of pantry staples – Asian fish sauce, brown sugar and garlic – all you need to pick up on the way home are some fresh limes and jalapeño. Nuoc cham works as a salad dressing, too. Here we drizzle it on crisp cucumbers and radishes, but sliced ripe tomatoes work just as well. You could serve it as it is with the salad on the side, or put everything on top of a bed of rice noodles or rice for a more substantial meal.

Featured in: Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ½cup fish sauce
  • 1tablespoon packed lime zest
  • cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
  • 2tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2garlic cloves, grated or minced
  • 1large jalapeño, seeds and veins removed if desired, minced
  • 1flank steak, about 1½ pounds
  • 1small seedless English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1large bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
  • 4scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1teaspoon vegetable, peanut or olive oil (optional)
  • Cooked rice noodles or rice, for serving (optional)
  • Sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts, for serving (optional)
  • Fresh mint leaves or cilantro, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

279 calories; 11 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 1966 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic and jalapeño. Pour ½ of the mixture over the flank steak and let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 24 hours). Let meat come to room temperature before cooking if necessary.

  2. Step 2

    Combine the cucumber, radishes and scallions. Pour in just enough of the marinade sauce to coat.

  3. Step 3

    Light the grill or heat the broiler to high. Pat steak dry with paper towels.

  4. Step 4

    If grilling, cook until done to taste, about 3 minutes per side for rare. If broiling, heat a 10-inch skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Add oil to pan and sear the meat for 2 minutes. Flip meat and immediately transfer pan directly to top shelf of oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes for rare, or longer for more well-done meat. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes covered in foil.

  5. Step 5

    Thinly slice steak and serve over cooked rice noodles or rice if desired, and top with the cucumber salad. Garnish with sesame seeds and plenty of herbs if using and serve with remaining marinade as a sauce.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,913 user ratings
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Comments

I figured the longer I marinate, the better. Wrong. I marinated the beef for 24 hours. We grilled it as suggested but it was disappointingly tough. We figured that the lime "cooked" the beef. Strongly recommend marinating for much shorter time -- maybe an hour or two.

The photo looks like the meat was sliced more or less with the grain instead of across it. Flank steak should be thinly sliced straight across the grain to be edible. I usually use some finely grated fresh ginger in the marinade to help tenderize the meat.

I added some ginger and sesame oil to the marinade and thought it was better.

While the flavors are good, I agree with others that this came out a little saltier than I'd like. I added low sodium soy sauce, lime juice and rice vinegar to the marinade, will adjust the ratios and maybe cut the marinating time in half next time.

Has anyone tried this sous vide? I live in a downtown loft so we don't have a great vent fan and aren't allowed to bar-b-que on our balconies due to the fire code. I'm thinking to sous vide and sear on the stove top.

Yes. It totally works. Cook in the marinade @ 129, towel off, then sear.

I used a flatiron steak and marinated overnight. Followed the dressing recipe but cut the fish sauce almost in half (Red Boat). Broiled flatiron steak sliced and served over mixed baby greens with the advised cucumbers and a bit of cilantro and dressed with reserved marinade. Super delicious.

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