Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2
Vietnamese Steak Salad can be prepared as a side dish or entree! It's a light and refreshing meal that has lots of flavor bursts because of the garlic, lime, and fish sauce. While very simple, the salad dressing combination (inspired by my mom) is heavenly! I've literally seen people drink it right from their bowls.
Pros: bowl-licking good
Cons: none
Ingredients:
Steak
Chopped lettuce
Chopped cherry tomatoes
Chopped cucumber
Sliced red onion
Adobo
Fish sauce
Limes
Chopped garlic
Olive oil
Adobo
Prep your steak by rubbing some Adobo on each side and marinating it in 1 tablespoon of fish sauce per steak. Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes. I prepped my steak the night before.
Prep the garlic for your salad dressing by frying your chopped garlic in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of your pan. The key here is to control your heat and watch the color of your garlic. I find that heating up the oil and then leaving the heat on medium once the garlic is added gives you the best fry. Turn off the heat when your garlic starts to brown and continue stirring until the heat dies down. This should give you a nice golden brown. If your garlic is already golden brown before you turn the heat off, it will start to burn.
In a bowl, combine your thinly cut red onions with enough lime juice to wet them all. Mix and set aside for a few minutes. This will cut down the bitterness and slightly pickle them.
Meanwhile, assemble your salad by combining your lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
When you're ready to cook your steak, set your stove top to high heat. Wait for the pan to get hot before starting to cook to your desired doneness. To give you context, I like mine medium rare, which takes about 6 minutes. Move your steak and flip it every minute or so (including the sides) to evenly cook and form a nice crust. Let your steak rest before slicing it up into thin pieces.
Dress your salad with your red onion, fried garlic, garlic oil, and steak! Drizzle on a small amount of fish sauce (a little goes a long way) and a squeeze of lime.
Enjoy! I encourage you to customize your steak and salad proportions based on what you prefer.