This steak salad is seriously so delicious! Everything is made from scratch: the marinade, the dressing, and a simple yet flavorful corn, tomato, and red onion salsa. It genuinely rivals some of the best salads I’ve ever had. If you’re looking for other delicious and satisfying dinner salad recipes, check out my Italian chopped salad, my best Greek salad, chicken caprese salad, or this balsamic strawberry salad.
Key Ingredients
Veggies: Feel free to use your favorite vegetables, but I recommend a combination of romaine lettuce, radicchio (for a bit of bitterness), red onion, radish, corn, and cherry tomatoes. Blue Cheese: I love the combination of steak and blue cheese, so I always crumble some into my salad. Steak: You can use any steak you like, but I prefer thicker cuts, which are easier to cook to my preferred doneness. Flank steak, strip steak, flat iron, sirloin, or New York strip are all excellent choices. Steak Marinade: You’ll use a reverse marinade for the steak in this salad, which means we season the steak with salt and pepper and cook it first, then pour the marinade over it after it’s off the heat. Our go-to marinade combines balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, Dijon mustard, garlic, a little sugar, and soy sauce (it’s delicious!). If you prefer, season your steak with our steak seasoning and grill it, or use another marinade like this umami-packed steak marinade before cooking. Salad Dressing: Everything in this salad is homemade, including the dressing. I blend a hard-boiled egg with garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, oil, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, and salt. The dressing is thick and creamy and rivals the dressings you get at top steakhouses.
How to Make the Best Steak Salad
This really is one of the best steak salads we’ve had in a long time. You’ll start by cooking the steak. We’re using a reverse marinade, so season your steak with salt and pepper and cook it to your liking (grill, pan-sear, or broil). I prefer pan-searing in a heavy-bottomed pan then finishing it in the oven until it reaches my preferred doneness (check the recipe for specific temperatures). Once cooked, transfer the steak to a plate or baking sheet and pour the marinade over it. Let the steak rest and soak up those delicious flavors while you prepare the rest of the salad. Next, cook an ear of corn using your preferred method (grill, roast, or sauté). If you’re using a pan, cut the kernels off the cob and sauté them in the same pan you used for the steak. Then, make a quick “salsa” by combining the corn, tomatoes, red onion, rice vinegar, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Let it sit and marinate while you prepare the other ingredients. Now, make the dressing. I use a blender, and it takes just 2 minutes. Once the dressing is ready, toss it with the lettuce and radicchio in a large bowl. Finally, assemble your salad by scattering the corn salsa over the greens, adding the radish and blue cheese, and topping it off with slices of your perfectly cooked steak. I pan-sear my steak for this salad, so I’ve included pan-searing instructions below, but you can cook your steak however you like (pan-sear, grill, or broil). The important thing is that when your steak is cooked to your preferred doneness, you allow it to rest with our reverse marinade, which infuses the steak with an outrageous amount of flavor! 5 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary 1 teaspoon soy sauce ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic finely grated on a microplane 1/4 teaspoon honey or maple syrup 12 cherry tomatoes, halved Half a small red onion, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 1 small head radicchio, cored and chopped into large pieces 1 romaine heart, chopped into large pieces 2 radishes, thinly sliced 3 ounces (85g) blue cheese, crumbled 1 clove garlic, peeled Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 cup (118ml) light-flavored oil like avocado or safflower 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt 2Make the marinade in a small bowl by whisking the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, grated garlic, and honey. 3Heat a heavy-bottomed, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add a tablespoon of high-heat cooking oil (like avocado oil). 4Add the steaks to the pan and cook, without moving them, until a golden crust forms, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the steak and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. If your steak is thick, sear the edges for about 30 seconds. 5Transfer the skillet with the steak to the oven and cook for 3 to 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of your steak and your desired doneness (temperatures below). 6Remove the steak from the oven and transfer it to a plate. Spoon the marinade over the steak and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the salad. 2Transfer the corn kernels to a medium bowl. Add the cherry tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, and rice wine vinegar. Stir to combine and set aside to marinate. 3Make the salad dressing. Combine the hard-boiled egg, minced garlic, lemon juice, oil, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, honey, soy sauce, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. 4In a large bowl, combine the chopped romaine lettuce and radicchio. Drizzle the dressing over the salad greens and toss well to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 5Add the corn salsa mixture, sliced radishes, and crumbled blue cheese to the salad. 6Slice the steak against the grain, arrange the slices on the salad, or serve them on the side with individual portions of salad. Spoon any leftover juices and marinade from the steak over the top.
