This seared skirt steak with salsa is an easy, Brazilian-inspired meal of pan-seared steak that’s topped with a spicy tomato, onion, pepper, cilantro, and vinegar salsa.
*What is Skirt Steak?
A long, thin cut with a visible grain, skirt steak is an unsung hero for red-meat lovers. Sliced from the diaphragm area, just under the ribs, it’s perfect for quick cooking. With big beefy flavor, it’s the steak most commonly used in fajitas. Sliced against the grain, skirt steak is tender and juicy after just a quick sear in a hot pan.
Seared Skirt Steak with Salsa
Ingredients
- For the Brazilian salsa
- For the skirt steak
Directions
In a medium bowl, mix the cilantro, onion, tomato, serrano pepper, garlic, lime juice, unrefined sea salt, black pepper, MCT or olive oil, and vinegar.
Place the meat on a plate and sprinkle with the coarse salt on both sides. Resist the temptation to rub the salt in—you’ll end up making the steak too salty. Let sit for 30 minutes, so it soaks up some of the salt and comes to room temperature.
Heat a cast-iron grill pan over high heat, until very hot. Sear the steak on the grill pan until cooked to your desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare.
Remove the steak from the grill pan and scrape off the excess salt. Place on a warm plate, cover, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
Slice the steak in thin slices against the grain of the meat. Serve immediately with the salsa on the side.
David Says
Jump back and get out of town. This seared skirt steak with salsa is amazing. I mean, ah-MAH-zing. For us, it's the salsa. This alone deserves to be made in huge jars in kept in the fridge. The One always uses coconut oil in the salsa. It's a bitch to work in because coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but the flavor it lends is marvelously tropical. And as I write this, it just dawned on me: All you have to do is gently heat the coconut oil, let it sit a bit, then add it to the salsa ingredients. Duh.
We've made this with flank steak and London broil, in addition to skirt steak. This wasn't due to some great beef preference. To be honest, The One forgot what cut the recipe called for. Don't get old, kids.
You'll be tempted to think your pan's hot enough. I'm telling you now, it won't be. You cook the steak so little on both sides, you need the skillet hell-hot in order to get color and great caramelization on the outside. Otherwise, you're pouring that lovely salsa over gray meat.
Best of all, this is a meal we can prep during the nightly news at 6:30 and be sitting down to eat by 7:15. A true Weeknight Winner.
Recipe Testers' Reviews
This seared skirt steak is stand-alone delicious and so easy to prepare. The addictive salsa requires minimum knife skills and comes together in minutes. Make it while you’re waiting for the skirt steak to be seasoned by the salt and come to room temperature.
Paired with an avocado salad and roasted potatoes, it's practically a perfect meal. The steak would also make a great taco or quesadilla filling.
Delicious and easy—the perfect trip to South America without leaving home. I've never been to Brazil, but I have been to Argentina and Uruguay where the quintessential meal is just like this one—beef with a salsa, and this recipe is right on.
The chopping takes a little time, but after that it's a breeze to finish. Follow the recipe's timing and you’ll have a perfect medium-rare skirt steak. The sauce and the flavors all compliment each other beautifully.
I made roasted potatoes, broccoli, and paired it with a 2018 Garzon Tannat from Uruguay and was in dinner heaven. I can't wait till the weather warms and I can make this on the grill.
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Ms Angie, The dish turned out great we all loved it, I did have to change one thing the cilantro I forgot My husband has this thing about cilantro he said it tastes like soap to him
so I left it out. The avocado oil worked out great too. We had corn tortillas and my Sis had made a thin pasta dish called fideo that brought the whole meal together. I will be making this again and try it with cilantro too. Thank you so much.
I’m delighted to hear this, Lisa! Great to know that avocado oil works well here, and I can see how fabulous it would be with fido alongside. People seem to either love or hate cilantro. Apparently, that soapy taste is a genetic thing.
Thank you so much for responding so fast. I will let you know. We will be having it very soon. Thank you again Angie…
You’re very welcome, Lisa. I can’t wait to hear how it turned out.
What is MCT oil?
Bkhuna, it’s a type of oil made of only medium-chain triglycerides. Which is a science-y way of saying that it’s an oil used to raise your “good” cholesterol and lower your “bad” cholesterol. It’s often used by people following a keto diet. People tend to use MCT and coconut oil interchangeably, but our testers found that the flavor of coconut oil didn’t work particularly well here.
Could I use avocado oil for this recipe? It looks really good, I just don’t want to mess it up, I’m out of olive oil but I have everything else.
I think avocado oil would work well here, Lisa. The issue with the coconut oil, besides the flavor not working well, was that it solidified when in contact with the other ingredients, which was unappealing. You wouldn’t have an issue with that if using avocado oil, and I think the flavor would pair well with the other ingredients. Do let us know how it turns out!