Vietnamese Steak and Sugar Snap Salad

Active Time: 20 Mins
Total Time: 1 Hour
Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 1/4 lb. sliced steak, 1 1/4 cups salad)

The secret to this steak dish is the fish sauce in the marinade of the steak and in the vinaigrette for the salad, which gives the whole dish a salty, umami punch that’ll have you going back for bite after bite. The flavors are based around the classic Vietnamese dipping sauce nuoc cham, which combines fish sauce with sugar and lime juice. The herb-packed salad gives a nice counterbalance to the richness of the meat, and the lime juice in both the marinade and vinaigrette gives a hit of acid to round everything else out. 

Ingredients

MARINATED STEAK

  • 1/2 cup fish sauce
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons seeded chopped jalapeño (from 1 large jalapeño)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic (from 2 large garlic cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon peeled chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon lime zest (from 1 lime)
  • 1 1/2 pound skirt steak, cut into 4 equal parts

VINAIGRETTE

  • 1/2 cup peanut oil
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon each chopped ginger, chopped garlic, and seeded chopped jalapeño

SALAD

  • 1(8-oz.) bag sugar snap peas, cut diagonally into slices
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (from 1 bell pepper)
  • 1 cup matchstick carrots
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion (from 1 onion)
  • 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh basil, chopped fresh cilantro, and chopped fresh mint
  • Lime wedges, for serving

How to Make It

Step 1

Prepare the Marinade: Whisk together fish sauce, cilantro, oil, brown sugar, vinegar, jalapeño, garlic, ginger, and lime zest in a medium bowl. Add skirt steak to marinade; allow to stand covered in refrigerator 30 minutes. Preheat a grill or grill pan to high (450°F to 500°F). Grill marinated steak pieces 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium, or until desired degree of doneness. Allow cooked meat to stand 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.

Step 2

While meat marinates, prepare the Vinaigrette: Process all Vinaigrette ingredients in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. 

Step 3

Prepare the Salad: Combine cut sugar snap peas, red bell pepper strips, matchstick carrots, red onion, and herbs. Add 1/2 cup of the Vinaigrette; toss to coat. Drizzle steak with remaining 1/2 cup vinaigrette; serve with dressed salad and lime wedges.

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