A few weekends ago we had the most beautiful weather. We broke out the grill, made this recipe, and ate outside. Of course it snowed a few days after that. But luckily we are back to some wonderful spring temperatures and are planning on many more days of grilling over the next few months.
I have pretty much been craving this recipe since last summer. I know I could have made it on a grill pan, but for some reason it just seems best to me when we eat it outside in warm weather. Flank steak can be tough if not cooked properly, but this marinade really helps to both add flavor and tenderize the meat. Cooking the meat to the right temperature and cutting the slices thin also helps. The meat is delicious eaten on its own, but the pepita lime chimichurri sauce puts it over the top. You will likely have extra sauce, which can be frozen and used for another time.
- FOR THE STEAK:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lbs flank steak
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 cup lightly packed parsley
- ¾ cup lightly packed cilantro
- ¼ cup toasted pepitas
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- ¾ cup vegetable or olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 small lime, juiced
- Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Pour into a large freezer bag. Score the surface of the meat with ¼ inch deep cuts, about an inch apart, across the grain of the steak. Add steak to the bag with the marinade and seal tightly. Place in a bowl and let marinade refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Coat grill rack or grill pan with a little olive oil. Heat to a high heat for the grill or over medium-high heat for the grill pan.
- Remove the steak from the marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill and grill for about 4-6 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness (I recommend medium doneness at most). Remove from grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Make the sauce: combine all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well blended.
- Once the steak has rested, cut the meat into very thin slices against the grain. Serve with the pepita lime chimichurri sauce.
Source: Sauce adapted from Food Network and meat adapted from Simply Recipes.
I probably won’t be able to stop thinking about this recipe until I actually make it. It looks DIVINE! My doctor did tell me to eat more iron since I’m pregnant, so I think I’ve got a good excuse to make it asap.
It is a good way to get some extra iron as an added bonus :). And you don’t even need an excuse to make it–this recipe is so delicious!
I am not much of a steak person but that chimichurri sauce is definitely one I can see myself making – I wonder if it goes juts as well with other proteins like fish?
I actually thought as I was posting it that it would be good on chicken or fish! I haven’t tried it before but I definitely think it would be wonderful. The acidity of the lime in the sauce would actually pair great with fish. Let me know if you try it!