Grilled Steak Salad with Spicy Avocado-Buttermilk Dressing
This hearty grilled dinner salad is our new favorite ways to use up an abundance of in-season produce, no matter the time of year. Come summer, we toss in cherry tomatoes and garden-grown scallions by the handful; in spring, we add blanched snap peas, shaved spring carrots, and thinly sliced fennel to the mix; and for fall, roasted sweet potatoes, thinly sliced apples, and pomegranate seeds make their way to the salad bowl. Basically, this recipe acts as a template for whatever vegetables (or fruit!) you have on hand for the season. Just don’t skip the silky avocado-buttermilk dressing—it’s incredibly versatile and tastes great on everything. Oh, and one final tip: Be sure to season your steaks generously—rich proteins like steak need a lot of salt to help make the meat extra tender and juicy.
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ ripe Hass avocado
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ jalapeño stemmed and seeded (see Notes)
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- ¼ cup mint leaves
- 1 garlic clove smashed and peeled
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and pepper
Salad
- Two 14-ounce boneless New York strip steak about 1 inch thick
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 4 long metal or wood skewers (if using wood, soak in water for at least 30 minutes before using)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 bunch large scallions
- ½ head romaine lettuce cleaned and leaves separated
- 1 small head radicchio cleaned and leaves separated
- 1 small zucchini or summer squash shaved into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels from 1 ear (see Notes)
- 3 large radishes thinly sliced
- 8 ounces feta cheese cubed or crumbled
- ½ cup mixed sprouts
- ¼ cup small cilantro sprigs
- ¼ cup torn mint leaves
for serving
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
- Grilled bread for serving
Instructions
Make the dressing
- In a blender, purée all of the ingredients until smooth, scraping down the sides as you go. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape the dressing into a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Prepare the salad
- Pat the steak dry with paper towels and transfer to a clean plate. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the rest of the ingredients for your salad.
- Pierce 5 to 6 cherry tomatoes on each skewer; transfer to a plate with the scallions.
- Light a grill and oil the grate. Grill the steak over high heat (450°F), turning once, until medium-rare, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the scallions and tomatoes, turning occasionally, until the scallions are lightly charred and the tomatoes are charred and beginning to blister, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the carving board with the steak and season with salt.
- Cut the charred scallions into 1-inch lengths and remove the cherry tomatoes from the skewers. Thinly slice the steak against the grain. On a large platter, arrange the romaine, radicchio, shaved squash, corn, and radishes. Arrange the grilled scallions, tomatoes, and steak on top of the salad. Garnish with the feta, sprouts, cilantro, and mint. Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve the salad, passing more dressing and grilled bread at the table.
Notes
If you would like a spicier dressing, add one whole jalapeño (stemmed and seeded). If you are sensitive to heat, then start with one-quarter of a jalapeño and go from there.
To cook your corn quickly, place 1 ear of shucked corn in a microwave-safe container. Add ½ inch of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 3 to 4 minutes, or until tender. Let steam for 5 minutes, then remove the plastic wrap and transfer the corn to a work surface. Cut the kernels from the cob.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!