Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce is in pretty standard rotation at our house. It is one of our favorites and therefore the content for our first post! (thank you SO much for being here!)
The meat is tender, juicy, salty perfection and the sauce is tangy from the vinegar with a burst of freshness from the herbs. This Argentinian classic is simple enough to throw together on a work night yet, feels special enough to serve your friends for a casual dinner party.
Chimichurri Sauce
My husband, Alan, and I work together on a lot of dishes, but when it comes to protein, there is a pretty clear division of labor. I can certainly handle it- say when he’s sick, or working late, or tied up in a Fantasy Football Draft (ahem!) But 95% of the time, he is the guru of our grill. The man almost has a sixth sense of the perfect moment to take protein off the heat. Just in case the rest of you are not blessed with this magical gift (like me), I have mandated that he time it out for us.
Before you get started, you need to tenderize your flank steak with one of these. You are going to bang the snot out of it. The noise will probably frighten your dogs and small children. I sing a song while I do this- it seems to minimize the trauma. Then season generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. A note on salting red meat with decent fat content – Bobby Flay says “a little sprinkle won’t do-make it rain” in this Bon Appetit article. And when Bobby Flay speaks, I listen.
Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
This will feed 4-6 hungry adults. Easy to cut recipe in half for for two and probably still have leftovers. (this doesn’t happen at our house, but for people with better self control- you can probably count on enough for lunch the next day.) Perfect for a weeknight or your Saturday dinner party.
- 2 lbs flank steak, seasoned generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- Flake salt (Maldon, Falk or similar)
- For the Chimchurri
- 2 bunches cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/2 bunch watercress, roughly chopped
- 1/2 bunch Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- Juice from 2 limes
- 1/4 C Red Onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
- Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
- Pinch Smoked or Hot Paprika
- 3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I like Bertolli for this)
- For the Flank Steak-
- Bring the meat to room temperature
- Tenderize both sides with the meat tenderizer.
- Season generously with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Once seasoned and tenderized- let sit 20 minutes (or if you are bathing kids and doing homework in the midst of dinner prep- it can sit for an hour- no biggie.)
- Heat a cast iron skillet - (DO NOT attempt this in a non stick) over medium high heat. You are going to get this smoking (literally) hot!
- Cook the meat- about 3-5 minutes on each side until it has a slight caramelization on each side. Keep it medium rare.
- Remove from the pan to a carving board and allow to rest about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with flake salt
- Slice against the grain in very thin strips. (about 1/8 inch)
- For the Chimichurri
- Roughly chop the red onion, garlic and herbs. (Let the blender do most of the work)
- Combine in blender with the lime juice, vinegar, tiny pinch smoked paprika, pinch of salt and pepper.
- While the blender is running, drizzle in the olive oil.
- Let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the flavors all get acquainted with one another.
- Then, season with a little more salt and pepper if needed.
- Voila! Couldn't be easier and your friends will be impressed!
We hope the Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce impresses your friends or least makes your weeknight feel a little more special. THANK YOU so much for stopping by Live Life Love Food. Check back later this week for the quinoa salad we frequently serve with the flank steak.
This recipe was delicious (…and continues to be sampled as various iterations of leftovers as we keep making excuses to include it in other dishes), and, best of all, with two toddlers, easy. We planned the Saturday evening with me starting the sauce early afternoon while the meat came to room temp, attempting to make the cooking process simple and quick, because usually a more complicated dinner turns fowl when toddlers turn to hungry, “angry elves” as we call them. But, it turned into simply tossing several ingredients into the blender and turning it on. It came out wonderfully, with no adjustments required. Once the meat came to room temp, the smell of the sauce was so temping, we pounded the meat to submission, slapped some salt and pepper on it, and seared it. That was it. We really enjoyed the meal and will be coming back on a regular basis based on it’s taste, simplicity (although not simple in taste) and easy in preparation.
Haha! Can’t have angry elves! We are all too familiar with that scenario. I’m so glad you enjoyed the Chimichurri! It’s a favorite over here.