Spicy Thai Steak Salad

Kick up the spice with this scrumptious steak salad, full of fresh veggies and drizzled with a homemade cilantro-lime dressing! It’s the best steak salad I’ve EVER made (or eaten).

Spicy Thai Steak Salad – Kick up the spice with this scrumptious steak salad, full of fresh veggies and drizzled with a cilantro-lime dressing! | thecomfortofcooking.com

I tend to be kinda klutzy in the kitchen. You wouldn’t think so, since at the end of the day I’m able to turn out good looking food, but getting there can sometimes be… a process!

Take this salad, for example. I laid out all the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and veggies, topped it with toasty hot, tender slices of flank steak, then got to garnishin’. A sprinkle of sesame seeds, a little fresh lime, peanuts and scallions, and oh! What does every good, tasty Thai dish need? A handful of creamy avocado slices…

Oh, I got my handful.

Spicy Thai Steak Salad – Kick up the spice with this scrumptious steak salad, full of fresh veggies and drizzled with a cilantro-lime dressing! | thecomfortofcooking.com

Cue accident: Hubby, being helpful as usual, got to chopping the avocado, but the bugger of a pit just wouldn’t come loose. I was flying through the kitchen, here there and everywhere, yanked the knife from him and offered to quickly help. WRONG DECISION.

Avocado in one hand, knife in the other, WHAMMO. The knife didn’t pry the pit loose, but it did slice into my hand. Think deep paper cut. Yea, I know. It hurts just to THINK about it happening all over again.

Little girl sobbing ensued, as did insisting that I’d need 10,654 stitches. But, my hero came to the rescue with band-aids and Neosporin, and the show went on! The things I do for a tasty looking shot… (and also ‘cuz I love ya).

Spicy Thai Steak Salad – Kick up the spice with this scrumptious steak salad, full of fresh veggies and drizzled with a cilantro-lime dressing! | thecomfortofcooking.com

So, let’s finally get talkin’ Thai, shall we? Enough about my goofy antics!

This is one of the best salads I’ve ever had, and that’s the truth. When hubby and I were noshing down, we didn’t even come up for air to have a nice chat, a sip of water, or a pause to put our forks down for a minute. We just WENT for it. After one bite, you’ll see what I mean!

Served with my Simple Asian Soy-Peanut Noodles, this meal was absolutely mouthwatering. I don’t cook Asian dishes often – I’m always trying to learn, and I think this was a step in the right direction! I can’t wait to serve this the next time we have spice-lovin’ friends over for a scrumptious dinner!

Spicy Thai Steak Salad – Kick up the spice with this scrumptious steak salad, full of fresh veggies and drizzled with a cilantro-lime dressing! | thecomfortofcooking.com

If you’re not big on spice, though, feel free to cut the amount of chili garlic sauce to half. The salad will be more mild, but still zesty and delicious!

Marinated in a mixture of lime juice, cilantro, ginger, garlic and spices, the flank steak was melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious. We served it over a bed of juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, carrots, onion and torn romaine lettuce for a fresh crunch. Topped with green onions, toasted sesame seeds and a (haphazardly sliced) avocado, it was an amazing meal that I intend to make again and again.

Maybe next time with chainmail gloves, though!

Spicy Thai Steak Salad

Spicy Thai Steak Salad

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

For the marinade/dressing:

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons chili garlic sauce
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1 1/2-pound flank steak, lightly scored crosswise

For the salad:

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved*
  • 1 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup julienned carrot
  • 4 cups torn romaine lettuce

For garnish (optional):

  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Green onions, sliced
  • Sliced avocado
  • Chopped fresh mint or fresh Thai basil
  • Dry roasted unsalted peanuts

Instructions

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients, except steak, in a large resealable plastic bag. Remove half of marinade mixture to a small bowl (this half will be used as the salad dressing). Add steak to plastic bag with marinade, toss to coat and seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 10 minutes, up to 12 hours. Remove steak from bag and discard marinade.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, cucumber and carrot; sauté 2 minutes. Place sautéed vegetables and lettuce in a large bowl; toss gently to combine.
  3. Preheat your outdoor gas grill, grill pan or broiler. Coat your cooking surface with cooking spray.
  4. Cook steak 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove to a cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, divide salad equally between 4 plates. Thinly slice steak across the grain, lay slices on top of salad, and drizzle with remaining marinade.
  5. Garnish with green onions, fresh mint, Thai basil, and/or roasted peanuts, if desired.
  6. Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Join the Conversation

  1. Oh you poor thing! I hope your hand is OK! A dice and slice in the kitchen is the worst. It slows everything down from cooking to cleaning-up. I’m glad you were able to finish the dish Georgia. It looks absolutely mouthwatering! :) Pinning!

  2. Usually my escapades in the kitchen involve me spilling ALL THE THINGS everywhere. It happens more often than I’d care to admit lol…but the salad still looks absolutely beautiful! That has to count for something, right?

  3. Salad perfection right hurrr! Love the flavors Georgia!

  4. Ouch! So sorry to hear about your hand! I have so been there and it is not fun! This salad how is!! I love thai steak and this look perfect. SO pretty and colorful. My kind of food for sure!

  5. Georgia,
    Please thank your hand for taking one for the team, and I hope it is on the mend! This salad has t he look of all things wonderful, WOW. Beautiful work!! Wishing you a great week. :-)

  6. We are just alike in the kitchen! I sliced AND burned my finger on the toaster oven, of all things, this weekend. Right under the nail, too. So gross and painful! This salad is making me drool on my keyboard. I have to make it!

  7. This salad looks wonderful! Again, anything with a Asian flavor profile gets me every time. So sorry to hear about the avocado incident–my boyfriend’s sister JUST did the same thing, but actually did have to get stitches. Glad to hear you didn’t!

  8. I am obsessed with Thai flavors right now! Totally pinning this steak salad for dinner!!

  9. I can’t see you being a klutz in the kitchen! I’m more of an impatient/not very careful cook. A few weeks ago, I attempted to thinly julienne carrots for a salad that resulted in a teeny tip of my pinky being chopped off! I almost passed out but it wasn’t as bad as I first thought. My husband surprised me with a mandolin a few days later…but I have to be careful with that too! That aside, you food, including this steak salad, looks wonderful!

  10. That salad looks amazing!

  11. Wow,
    This salad looks gorgeous! Love all the flavors and the presentation is stunning!

  12. All of these flavors sound amazing — I just love Thai food! Lovely salad!

  13. LOVE this salad Georgia! Great flavors and just gorgeous. Gotta try it!

  14. Sorry to hear about your hand.
    I love Thai food and the flavors of this salad sounds amazing. A beautiful post :)

  15. Ouch! At least the salad has turned out GREAT!

  16. Oh man Georgia I’ve done the same thing! I had a horrible cut from an avocado pit incident myself. Now I let Andy do the pits and I just sit back and put the avocado on my food :)

    Also- this salad looks amazing. I have been craving red meat like crazy lately!! :)

  17. Hope that pretty lil hand of yours heals quickly!

    This salad – perfection!!!!

  18. I am glad your finger is okay and you didn’t need any stitches. This thai steak salad looks delicious!!!

  19. Oh dear, Georgia! I’m so happy your cut wasn’t worse. I am always in a hurry and tend to cut myself more than I life to admit.
    Your salad looks amazing, I LOVE Thai salads, such delicious flavors and texture, yum!

  20. Kitchen accidents are the worst! I hope your hand heals quickly.

  21. Gorgeous salad with great textures and flavors!! Love all the spices!!

    ps: SO sorry about your hand. Hope it heals soon! xoxo

  22. I love Thai flavors and this is one gorgeous salad. Hope you heal fast!

  23. Just beautiful, girl! I cannot wait to try it. But, SO SORRY about your hand! Hope it heals quickly. I think klutzy and messy cooks are the best cooks. :) Thanks for sharing! xo

  24. This salad is just beautiful Georgia. My hubby would love it because the beef is cooked to his liking. And…I once dropped the blade of my food processor on my bare foot and cut the top of my big toe pretty good. And all this time I thought I was the only klutz in the kitchen – lol! I feel a little better knowing that it’s not just me :) Hope you heal quickly.

  25. Your salad looks so magic, love the Thai flavours :D
    Yum!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  26. Georgia, this looks absolutely unbelievable! I can imagine that with those noodles this meal was a favorite!

  27. I love these flavors! Great idea for a salad, Georgia. It’s gorgeous and I can imagine it tastes amazing!

  28. I love anything Thai. It is truly my most favorite cuisine. This salad looks amazing. I know a few people in my house that would love to have this for dinner right about now :-) What a great looking salad Georgia!!

  29. Aww, poor thing..hope your hand heals fast. the salad is sooo good looking, I will not cut anything in half, this is a perfect recipe. Take care my dear.

  30. The colors in that salad are just gorgeous – so what if I can’t eat the meat, atleast I can look at the beauty of that plate!
    I did make the thai peanut noodles yesterday and they were soo good! I can’t believe how easy its to put together! Thank you for the great recipe.
    Sorry about your hand – occupational hazards!!!

  31. Now THIS is a salad! Swooning over that steak! Love the Thai flair :)

  32. this salad looks amazing. Cannot wait to try it hopefully this weekend!

  33. Owww! Sorry to hear about the cut on your hand! This is one beautiful looking salad.

  34. Ah jeez, the ol’ try-to-chop-the-pit-out-and-hit-your-hand dillema…I absolutely love avocados so you can imagine, I do the same thing on a weekly basis. Hope your hand feels better soon! This salad looks absolutely perfect! I love the steak and all the fresh ingredients. Perfect for summer!

  35. Such a easy and flavorful marinade.. What great flavors!! This would be a dish i know we would love!

  36. Ouch! Glad you and your hand are okay. The salad looks terrific – love the flavors & textures in there. I also think the noodle salad looks amazing too.

  37. I hope your hand is feeling better, I know the feeling!

    This salad looks amazing – what beautiful colors and delicious flavors!

  38. I’m on a stupid allergy elimination diet right now, and it’s almost impossible for me to find recipes that look this delicious AND I can eat in their entirety. Thank you so much! I hope you’re battle wound is healing well.

  39. Love Love this!!! This looks too good!

  40. I’m thinking this needs to be dinner!!

  41. This looks fabulous. I really love steak salad!

  42. I saw this on instagram and knew I had to have it!

    PS I’m also a klutz in the kitchen! That must be why we get along so well. ;-)

  43. I am so sorrry for the cut – esp for someone who likes cooking, its never a good thing. such a fantastic flavors going on in this salad.

  44. I love Asian food too, and keep meaning to cook it more often. This salad (and those noodles!) looks amazing! I hope your hand is feeling better – those avocado pits can be the worst!

  45. Oh no! I hope your cut will heal quickly. So happy you didn’t need 10,000 stitches. :)

    And great job on the pictures (again!) I can imagine that this wasn’t an easy dish to shoot.

  46. Hope your hand is okay! I’ve been there – I know it stinks. =( On a positive note, this looks SO good, especially with those noodles!

  47. Gorgeous (as always!)! I’ve been wanting a good steak salad recipe!

  48. On no OUCH!! I remember when I was pregnant with my 2nd child I was cutting an onion and with “pregnancy brain” so I cut into my hand….. I bleed like crazy. I still shudder at the thought of that one… and I totally understand your little girl cry. :)

    This salad turned out beautiful nevertheless… I love Thai flavors so this is my kind of salad. :)

  49. Ouch, ouch! Just reading that makes me cringe. I hate when I cut myself. Your salad is lovely though and the flavors look so delicious!

  50. I hope you’re OK! I tend to burn myself a lot more than I cut myself, but both stink. Anyway, the salad looks wonderful! Totally worth it (although that’s easy for me to say, isn’t it?).

  51. Ouch! is right…I hate it when that happens…but your Thai steak looks over the top amazing and perfectly cooked, so delicious ;)

  52. Youch!!! That sounds like it really hurt.

    However your salad sounds right up my alley:-). I love a good flank steak and the thai seasonings are some of my favorites. I might just toss the noodles with the salad and eat it all together…ok, now I’m hungry!

  53. I almost had a similar avocado whoopsie this weekend while putting together some tacos…yikes. Those pits need to come with a hazard warning! Glad you didn’t slice your hand off and that you got to give us this gawwwgeous recipe in the meantime. :-)

  54. This salad looks so delicious and healthy! Meat and vegetables is the perfect match. And by the way, as far as I see it is rather easy to cook it and to treat your family and guests who came unexpectedly.

  55. I was really looking forward to this post! Looks so good – I love Thai flavors esp fish sauce! This is going to be our favorite steak – I might use rice paper and roll it up with lettuce, etc. YUM!

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