Grilled Steak Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
No more boring salads! This grilled steak salad is made with juicy, tender steak, corn, tomatoes, cheese, and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette!
Ingredients
- 3 ears corn, husks and silk removed
- 1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ pounds flank steak
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 head romaine, roughly chopped
- 6 Campari tomatoes, quartered
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
For the balsamic vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush corn with butter; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add corn to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred and tender, about 10 minutes; let cool before cutting the corn kernels off the cobs.
- Brush steak with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add steak to grill, and cook, flipping once, until desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium rare. Let rest 5 minutes; thinly slice against the grain.
- To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with corn, steak, tomatoes, onion and blue cheese. Pour the balsamic vinaigrette on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.
For the balsamic vinaigrette
- In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon and honey; season with salt and pepper, to taste; set aside.
Notes
- Prep ahead of time. Save time by making the dressing up to 1 week in advance, and prepping and dicing the vegetables 1-2 days prior and storing them in airtight containers in the fridge.
- Dry the greens thoroughly. Wash and dry the greens thoroughly using a salad spinner to avoid the dressing from sliding off or causing the greens to go limp and soggy very quickly.
- Cut in uniform size. Cut all of the salad ingredients in similar size pieces for a consistent bite.
- Use extra virgin olive oil. High quality extra virgin olive oil is ideal for salad dressings for maximum flavor.
- Use a hot cast iron grill pan. When opting to cook indoors, a heavy bottom pan, such as a cast iron grill pan or large cast iron skillet, retains heat much better than a nonstick skillet, allowing for even cooking, a better sear, and smoky, caramelized flavors for the steak.
- Let your meat rest. Let your meat rest for at least 5 minutes prior to serving, allowing the juices to redistribute – this will allow for maximum flavor and juiciness.
- Slice against the grain. Always slice perpendicular to the direction of the muscle fibers – this will shorten muscle fibers, leaving you with more tender (less chewy) pieces of meat.
- Add some crunch. Add some croutons, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, or slivered almonds for some crunch.
- Toss the dressing just before serving. This will avoid a soggy salad and allow for maximum, crisp freshness.