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Sliced skirt steak topped with salsa with a bowl of salsa and charred lime halves on the side.
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4.50 / 8 votes

Seared Skirt Steak with Salsa

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.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 340

Ingredients

For the Brazilian salsa

  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup tomato, finely chopped
  • 1/2 serrano pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coconut or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine, white wine, or apple cider vinegar

For the skirt steak

  • 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt, or 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the salsa

  • In a medium bowl, mix the cilantro, onion, tomato, serrano pepper, garlic, fresh lime juice, sea salt, black pepper, oil, and vinegar.
    A person mixing salsa ingredients in a small bowl.

Make the skirt steak

  • Place the meat on a cutting board and sprinkle both sides with coarse salt. Resist the temptation to rub the salt in—you’ll end up making the steak too salty. Let sit for 30 minutes so the meat can soak up some of the salt and come to room temperature.
    A person seasoning a skirt steak on a cutting board with salt.
  • Heat a cast-iron grill pan or skillet over high heat until very, very hot. (I mean smoking hot!) Sear the steak until cooked to perfection, 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare. A wee bit longer for a medium steak.
    Two pieces of skirt steak in a cast iron pan.
  • Remove the steak from the pan and scrape off the excess salt. Place it on a warm plate, cover it, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
    Two seared pieces of skirt steak on a cutting board.
  • Slice the steak into thin slices across the grain. Serve immediately with the salsa on the side.

Notes

  1. Know your salt— This recipe calls for coarse sea salt, which has large, chunky crystals that sit on the meat and don't fully dissolve. After cooking, the salt is scraped off, leaving behind perfectly seasoned beef. If you're using kosher salt or another finer variety, you must reduce the amount, or the dish will turn out far too salty.
  2. Double the salsa—Make a double batch of the salsa and dribble it over breakfast tacos, grilled chicken, or scoop it up with chips.
  3. Dietary—This recipe is suitable for gluten-free and dairy-free diets.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 3895mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g