Flank Steak Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
This delicious FlankSteak Salad with Orange Vinaigrette contains perfectly reverse seared flanksteak (no grill required), fresh winter oranges, Thai basil, arugula, peeledcarrots, and avocado.
Ingredients
Flank Steak Marinade Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pounds flank steak See Note 1
- 4 large garlic cloves, pressed
- 10-12 Thai basil leaves, stems attached See Note 2
- 2 cups soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Orange Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients (see Note 3)
- 1 tablespoon shallots, finely diced Orange Sesame Vinaigrette Dressing: 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger + 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 4 teaspoons white wine vinegar Orange Sesame Vinaigrette Dressing: 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Orange Sesame Vinaigrette Dressing: 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest grated
- 1/4 salt
Flank Steak Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups baby spring mix
- 4 cups arugula
- 4 cups dandelion greens See Note 4
- 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups Thai basil leaves
- 4 cups peeled carrots (2 to 3 large carrots) See Note 5
- 2 oranges, cut into bite-sized sections about 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups
- 1 avocado
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Flank Steak Instructions
- Pat the steak dry with paper towels and trim excess fat off.
- Cut the steak in half lengthwise and then crosswise, making four, roughly equal-sized steaks.
- Rub the pressed garlic into the steaks, making sure to do both sides of each.
- In a zip-lock bag, add the steaks and Thai basil leaves. Pour the soy sauce over the steak, seal the bag, and let it marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or up to 6 hours in the fridge.
- 30 minutes before you plan to cook the steaks, take the marinade out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature.
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
- Take the steaks out of the marinade and pat them dry.
- Place the steaks on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and put in the oven.
- Cook for 45 to 50 minutes until a thermometer inserted through the side into the center of the thickest steak reads anywhere from 115 to 120 degrees F.
- While the steaks cook, prepare the salad.
- In a 12-inch skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the steaks down, searing them for a total of 4 minutes, flipping them every minute (see Note 6). If you want to check for doneness, use a thermometer and take the steaks off 5 degrees below your target temperature (see Note 7).
- Return the steaks to the wire rack and let them sit for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the steaks to a cutting board with the grain running left to right and cut the steaks against the grain as thin as possible. Set aside to mix with the salad.
Orange Vinaigrette Dressing Instructions
- In a mason jar, combine the shallots and white wine vinegar together. Let the shallots sit in the vinegar for 15 minutes. For the Orange Sesame Vinaigrette version, combine the pressed garlic and rice vinegar in a mason jar and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Add the orange juice, extra virgin olive oil, orange zest, and salt to the mason jar, seal, and shake vigorously to combine. Taste and add more citrus or salt if necessary. For the Orange Sesame Vinaigrette version, combine the grated ginger, orange juice, sesame oil, orange zest, and salt to the mason jar, seal, and shake vigorously to combine.
- Set aside (see Note 8)
Flank Steak Salad Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, combine and mix all the greens (baby spring mix, arugula, dandelion greens, and Thai basil) and the peeled carrots. Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the greens and carrots and mix well.
- Arrange the orange sections on top of the greens and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Use a spoon to scoop out spoonfuls of avocado and arrange them on top of the orange sections. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Pour the rest of the dressing on top of everything and arrange the sliced steak on top. Serve (see Note 9).
Notes
- 1 to 2 pounds flank steak. 1 pound will make just enough for the salad, while 2 pounds will have about 1/4 of the steak leftover.
- Thai basil (also called húng quê’) has an anise and licorice-like flavor that I really love. Its leaves are more narrow with some of them being a deep purple, the stems are long and deep purple, and sometimes there are purple flowers on the tips. I find it at my local Asian grocery store and it’s labeled as húng quê’. It’s not the same as Thai Holy Basil, which is spicy, peppery, with clove-like flavor. You can use regular basil if you want.
- I’ve provided two different ways you can make the Orange Vinaigrette Dressing. The standard white wine vinegar and olive oil-based one is a little lighter and more subtle. The rice vinegar and sesame oil-based one is a little heavier and plays up the other Asian ingredients.
- You can substitute 4 cups arugula for the 4 cups of dandelion greens if you can’t find any or if you don’t like them. Dandelion greens are a little more bitter than arugula but have a similar peppery bite. They also have a little bit of a crunch to them because of the stems.
- Peel the outer layer of the carrots off first and discard. Then use the vegetable peeler in the same way to peel the carrots. This is much easier (and faster) if your carrots are very large.
- Depending on the size and shape of your flank steak, you might have to cook 3 steaks at once in the skillet and cook the fourth by itself.
- Rare: 125 degrees F, Medium Rare: 135 degrees F, Medium Well: 155 degrees F, Well Done: 165 degrees F
- The dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 3 days.
- This particular way of making the salad ensures you don’t have to mix everything together. I always hate how when you mix salads together all the smaller items fall to the bottom and it’s hard to get a good serving of everything. This way, you simply use serving utensils to grab a big portion from bottom to top.