The number one request for the blog can be summed up in one word: MEAT!! I hear you all, and today’s Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce recipe is a mouth watering, flavorful, MEATY, dish that is surprisingly easy to make. Features a simple marinade made with cilantro, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, and a variety of spices. This recipe is delicious…and (gasp!) healthy!
Steak please?
While I really enjoy the benefits of my plant-based lifestyle and can make vegetarian and vegan meals for days, I realize that not everyone’s idea of healthier eating involves giving up meat. And it doesn’t have to! One of the top requests for the blog has been to add more meat recipes. Meat is central to most Caribbean meals, and I want to showcase how it is still possible to create healthy, flavorful, and simple meals without giving up meat entirely.
Now adding more meat recipes on the blog sounds good in theory, but it’s a bit hard to implement since I don’t eat meat! However, thanks to my amazing friends who gladly serve as my taste-testers, I have come up with some recipes that incorporate leaner meats like chicken and turkey, as well as red-meat recipes like this one.
The recipe…
The base for this dish is the chimichurri marinade, an Argentinian sauce made by combining fresh cilantro, green onions, garlic, jalapenos, sweet cooking peppers, olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, and spices into a food processor. After liberally coating your flank or skirt steak with the marinade, let the mixture sit overnight to allow the acidity in the marinade to slowly tenderize the meat.
Then, remove the marinade and set it aside for the finishing chimichurri sauce. We’ll heat the marinade to a boil then cool it to remove any potential bacteria. Otherwise, you can make extra marinade and use that in the finishing sauce!
Rest is essential!
I find that the best way to prepare the steak is to grill it on high for a few minutes on each side, since flank and skirt steak tend to be very thin and can dry out easily if overcooked. Once the steak is done, immediately remove it from the grill and let it rest. It is very important not to mess with the steak while it’s resting, or all the juices will escape. Which is bad. Very bad.
So major tip — do NOT slice your steak until it has rested for at least 15 minutes. Seriously!
After the steak has had a chance to rest, cut it against the grain. This is another trick to keep the steak as moist as possible, and it looks really pretty against the grill marks!
While the steak is resting, make the chimichurri “finishing” sauce that will go over the steak. You have two options here. You can use the remnants of the marinade for the steak, just add it to a food processor along with more fresh cilantro, green onion, peppers, garlic, celery (optional), lime juice, and more salt and pepper. I also add a bit of lime zest to enhance the flavor. If using this method, be sure to cook the finishing sauce, bring to a boil then let it cool to cook off any potential bacteria from the raw meat. Otherwise, you can use some fresh marinade to make the sauce.
This recipe is a perfect main dish dinner, or you can transform it into a weekday lunch. You literally can’t go wrong. Let me know how you’d use this steak recipe in the comments below.
Looking for more delicious recipes? Try:
Orzo Stuffed Roasted Squash Bowls
West Indian Shrimp with Creamy Polenta
Trini Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Lime Rice
Share this recipe…
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Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
Ingredients
Chimichurri Marinade
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro, leaves and stems include stems
- 3 green onion, including stalks
- 3 small sweet cooking peppers
- 1 jalapeno, seeded removed seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic
- juice of 1 lime
- juice of 1 orange
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- coarse salt and black pepper
- 4-5 pimento seeds
- 2 celery stalks (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp adobo all purpose seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- coarse salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the chimichurri marinade in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add more olive oil if you like a thinner marinade.
- Place flank steak in a zip lock bag and season with paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour in the marinade and shake to make sure steak is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate for at least one hour and preferrably overnight.
- Set grill to medium high heat. Remove steaks from marinade and set the marinade aside to make the finishing sauce. Grill the steak until grill marks form and steak is cooked to your desired temperature. Remove from grill and set aside to rest for approximately 15 minutes before slicing.
- While steak is resting, prepare chimichurri finishing sauce. In a food processor, combine marinade, fresh cilantro, green onions, cooking peppers, celery (optional), lime zest, olive oil, salt and pepper and pulse until smooth. If using reserve marinade, be sure to heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes to remove any potential bacteria. If you'd rather not cook the sauce, use fresh marinade.
- To serve, slice steaks against the grain and top with chimichurri sauce. Enjoy!
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