This grilled Thai beef salad is made with thinly sliced steak in a lime juice and soy sauce marinade atop herbs and salad greens. Tangy, easy, and satisfying as any salad we’ve had.
Adapted from Ellie Krieger | The Food You Crave | Taunton, 2008
This grilled Thai beef salad calls for a marinade that’s slightly tangy, sweet, spicy, and salty, then grills the beef to caramelized perfection. It’s later tossed with salad greens and fresh herbs. Perfect for those days you’re organized enough to consider dinner before breakfast, toss together the marinade in the morning and you’ll come home to barely any work to do that night.–Renee Schettler
☞ Contents
Grilled Thai Beef Salad
Ingredients
For the marinade and dressing
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten free)
- 3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons peeled and minced ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce
For the salad
- 1 pound top round London broil or flank steak*
- Canola oil
- 1/2 head red-leaf lettuce torn (about 5 cups lightly packed) or mixed lettuces
- 3 shallots thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 cup basil leaves sliced into ribbons
- 1/2 marinade and dressing mixture
Directions
Make the marinade and dressing
- In a bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, the soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce. Pour half the mixture into a resealable container and reserve as the dressing. What remains in the bowl is the marinade.
- Rinse the steak and pat it dry. Place it in a resealable plastic bag or a glass baking dish and pour the marinade over the steak. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice to the bag. Seal or cover and refrigerate, turning the meat occasionally, for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
Make the grilled Thai beef salad
- Coat a grate or a grill pan with oil and preheat over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the steak until the desired degree of doneness, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare depending on the thickness.
- Let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak on the diagonal against the grain.
- Combine the lettuce, shallots, cilantro, basil, and steak in a large bowl. Add the reserved dressing and toss. Divide the salad among plates and tuck in right away before the salad wilts.
Notes
*What cut of meat is a London broil?
Technically speaking, London broil is the technique of marinating and broiling a tougher cut of beef, making it succulent and tender. Although the label might not explain how to cook it, a London broil is a cut of meat that’s meant to be marinated and cooked at high heat. It’s a great way to get a really good meal out of a less expensive cut of meat. Originally London broil was made with flank steak, but over the years, the name has been applied to many other lean cuts of beef, such as top round, top blade, and skirt steaks.Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
My husband and I really liked this recipe. It’s very delicious, easy, healthy, and quick, and will certainly get oohs and aahs from your guests. The salad is wonderful with the basil and cilantro and the Thai dressing balances the salty, sweet, spicy, and tart.
The salad is perfect sans beef if you have a vegetarian/vegan in your midst. I’ll definitely be making this recipe often.
We loved this attractive and flavorful steak salad. The clever idea to split the marinade into two portions and reserve half of it to dress the finished salad keeps with the smart approach of this recipe as a whole.
Once the prep work for the dressing/marinade is complete, nothing else needs to be done until shortly before mealtime, making this an easy dish to fit into almost any schedule.
Made this last night and every single person in the house asked for seconds. The dressing was indeed a tad tangy and sweet yet filled with an array of aromas. The salad alone, even without the beef, is outstanding, so it’s very easy to make a single meal that will satisfy both carnivores and vegetarians. The London broil came out juicy, cooked to perfection, and with a nice hint of the marinade. Loved it and will make it more often.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I made this for dinner last night using flank steak. It was simple, straightforward, and light—a perfect salad for any weeknight or casual get-together with friends. The next time I make this, I’ll cut back on the shallot, as it was too strong for me, and I’ll add a little Romaine lettuce for more crunch.
So glad you enjoyed this, Michaele.
The dressing/marinade is fabulous! Love it.
Your Viet beef salad looks perfect, I wanna try to make that too!