I love a good steak. A generously seasoned, crisp seared crust on the outside and a juicy, tender inside… amazing, right?
I love them sitting next to a baked potato and asparagus and I also love them laid out over a bed of greens. When I order a steak salad at a good steakhouse, I expect it to come totally decked out. Crunchy greens, big seasoned croutons, a creamy, decadent dressing and all the other fixings. This is one of my all time favorite meals, so today, I wanted to create one right here in my own kitchen…
If we are going to do this then we should do it right. I recommend using steak cuts that are very tender like ribeyes, new york strips and tenderloin. Not only do these cuts offer great flavor, but when cooked correctly, they will remain nicely tender and easily to chew along with the rest of your salad ingredients.
In addition to the star of the show, I am baking up some garlicky croutons and making a batch of my creamy, decadent parmesan peppercorn dressing. This is going to be one truly fabulous salad.
Let’s get started…
To make a pair of hearty steakhouse salads, you will need a 12-15 ounce steak cut of your choice, about a teaspoon of Lawry’s steak seasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend), 5 ounces of arugula salad mix, 2 cocktail cucumbers, 2 spring onions, 4 ounces of cocktail tomatoes, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1/4 cup of shredded sharp cheddar, 1/4 cup of finely shredded parmesan, 1/4 cup of parmesan peppercorn dressing (or your favorite dressing) and 1 heaping cup of garlic herb croutons (which is optional, but highly recommended!).
The first step is to let your steak come to room temperature. This is one of my favorite tips for getting best out of your steak. Placing a cold steak onto a hot grill or skillet causes the meat to seize up and cook unevenly, so let it sit out on your counter top for about 30 minutes before you cook it. A relaxed steak is a delicious steak.
Once your steak is at room temperature pat it dry with a paper towel and season it generously with your favorite steak seasoning. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter into a medium skillet (cast iron if you have it) and place it over medium to medium high heat. Allow the skillet to get really warm and once it is hot enough that you cannot keep your hand a few inches over the surface for longer than 5 seconds, it is ready for the steak.
Place the steak into the hot skillet and let it cook undisturbed for at least 5 minutes on the first side. Once the underside of your steak has nice dark, crisp crust, flip it over and continue to cook it until it reaches your desired level of doneness. For a 1 inch thick steak, an additional 3-5 minutes will get you around medium rare, 6-7 minutes will be medium and 8-9 minutes medium well. If you have a meat thermometer (and you definitely should!), an internal temperature of 135 degrees is medium rare and 150 degrees is medium well.
Once your steak is cooked how you want it, transfer it onto a cutting board and cover it with some foil. Let it rest while you prepare your salads.
To prepare your salads, divide the arugula mix, cocktail tomatoes, spring onions, hard boiled eggs, cucumbers and both cheeses between two salad bowls.
Once your steak has rested, slice it up and divide it between the bowls.
Its beautiful already, but things are about to get really…. really delicious….
Drizzle some creamy, tangy and spicy parmesan peppercorn dressing over this beautiful salad and then toss of few garlic herb croutons casually around the bowl (then add a few more for good measure) and maybe even shred a little more parmesan over the whole situation and prepare yourself to experience something spectacular…
I want to avoid getting too wordy, but there are so many wonderful things going on here. Let’s discuss the textures first… the steak is of course amazing. Juicy and super flavorful from all of that seasoning and the great sear. The croutons are crisp, the dressing is creamy, the hard boiled eggs add a wonderful richness and the contract between the warm steak and the cold greens is fantastic.
Now for the flavors… the seasoning on the steak, the rich, decadent dressing, the garlicky croutons, the salty parmesan and the sweet cherry tomatoes… it has everything you could ask for out of a salad and I am so excited for you to give it a try.
Steakhouse Salad
Ingredients
- 12-15 ounce cut of steak
- 1 teaspoon of your favorite steak seasoning
- 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 5 ounces of an arugula lettuce mix
- 2 cocktail cucumbers, diced
- 2 spring onions, thin sliced
- 4 ounces of cherry or cocktail tomatoes, halved
- 2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled, quartered
- 1/4 cup of fresh parmesan, finely shredded
- 1/4 cup of sharp cheddar, shredded
- 1/4 cup of parmesan peppercorn dressing (or your favorite dressing!)
- 1 cup garlic herb croutons (optional)
Instructions
- Allow your steak to come to room temperature by taking it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are ready to cook
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter into a medium skillet and place it over medium to medium high heat
- Pat your steak dry with a paper towel and season generously with a teaspoon of steak seasoning. Once the skillet it very warm, cook the steak on the first side for 5 minutes undisturbed
- Flip the steak and cook it to your desired level of doneness (further instructions above)
- Transfer the steak onto a cutting board, cover with foil and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing
- While the steak rests, prepare your salads by dividing the arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions, hard boiled eggs, cheddar and parmesan between two large salad bowls
- Slice the rested steak and divide between the two salads
- Garnish with garlic herb croutons and dress with parmesan peppercorn dressing
- Enjoy!
