Chive Chimichurri Sauce with Skirt Steak Salad
Usually in the winter when I crave skirt steak, I pair it with some classic marriages like caramelized onions, seared mushrooms and a baked potato. But when the warmer months come around, I crave a steak salad and to really emphasize the brightness of the dish, I top the steak with my chive chimichurri sauce, which contains fresh herbs from my garden. The tangy and acidic punch of the chimichurri sauce holds up well against the steak, making them the perfect match. For all my vegetarians out there, don’t worry, this chimichurri topped salad is still for you! You can swap the skirt steak for large grilled portobello mushrooms and top it with chimichurri sauce. The meaty texture and earthy flavor of portobellos also does a great job at standing up to the chimichurri sauce.
As for the salad, I have outlined below some suggested added ingredients that work well but there are a lot of variations that you can swing. For instance, put whole onions on the grill and cook until tender. Go ahead and char some asparagus on the grill while you’re at it. You’re already grilling your steak, might as well grill some other vegetables for the salad. Maybe come August and September, you grill some corn and add that to the salad! Plus, grilled vegetables will add a textural contrast to the raw vegetables. For the salad below, I find the pickled onions add another cooking method and another layer of flavor. The avocado adds subtle creaminess to the overall salad, while the pomegranate seeds provide a touch of sweetness to the richness of the steak. And for all my blue cheese lovers, I think you’re going to love this one.
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Directions
Combine all of the ingredients except for the chives and olive oil in a food processor.
Turn on the food processor and slowly drizzle the olive oil in. Process the mixture until it is emulsified. Do not over process or the olive oil will become bitter.
Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Add the chives and stir to combine. Serve or reserve for 1-2 weeks in a airtight container in the refrigerator.
Chimichurri Ingredients
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 plus ½ tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp of olive oil
1 cup fresh cilantro
2 cups fresh chives, finely chopped
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 cloves of garlic
2tbsp sambal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Yield: 4 servings
Directions:
Gently combine all of the ingredients except for the steak in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt until well coated and seasoned to your preference. Do not add too much olive oil (keep in mind the chimichurri sauce also acts as a dressing).
Using tongs, plate the salad on individual plates. Place the grilled skirt steak on top of the bed of green, and then spoon the chimichurri sauce on top of the steak as desired.
Steak Salad Ingredients
1 pound of skirt steak, medium rare
1 bunch of scallions, charred on the grill and roughly chopped
1 avocado, cubed
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
1/3 cup blue cheese
3 cups of mixed greens
2 cups of arugula
1/3 cup pickled onions
3 tbsp toasted and salted pepitas
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into round and grilled