Fire up the grill! It's time for a get-together with family and friends. Celebrate with Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak.
Party time!
We've been patient, we've been separate. But you can feel the difference in the air. Certainly, with the changing of the season, the temperatures are rising. There is something else afoot. Moods have altered and lightened. We are ready to celebrate and to gather.
The backyard barbeque is the perfect setting, relaxed and inviting with the aroma of charred meat and vegetables, enticing your guests. Add a few cold drinks and some good conversation, sit back, and relax.
Herby and piquant
Chimichurri screams freshness. The green herbs, parsley, cilantro, and oregano, are bright and pleasantly aggressive. Fresno chiles, red onions, and lime juice and zest add their zing to complement the herbs. This is a perfect marinade for the rich flavor of the skirt steak. Save a little sauce to the side for the finished sandwich.
Smoky and chunky
Grilled vegetable pesto highlights the ripeness and the colors of bountiful summer produce. Barbequing the peppers, onions, and tomatoes adds a hint of smoke and char to the pesto. I like to keep the texture of the pesto slightly chunky. However, there is an inherent creaminess because of the olive oil and the hint of pecorino cheese.
Fast food
Grilling the skirt steak is a quick job. I like to wait for the coals to calm down a bit before adding the steak to the grill. It is a thin piece of meat and the fire can flare up from the dripping marinade. About 5-6 minutes is all that is needed to cook the steak to medium-rare. Try to limit the grilling time because the steak can dry out.
There are so many textures. I love the charred and crispy edges of the steak. The interior is unctuous. Add the bright and tangy flavor of the chimichurri. It's all good!
Putting it all together
Of course, you could stop here and just eat the steak. No shame in that! Or you could make the sandwich. It is a layering of flavors and ingredients in an open-faced format. Use your favorite bread, pita, or roll. I like to use flatbread which I make from King Arthurs skillet flatbread recipe - https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/skillet-flatbreads-recipe.
After the steak has rested for at least 5 minutes, slice on the bias so you get the charred exterior along with the pink interior for the full experience.
Spoon the pesto on top of the steak, add avocado, and a few sprigs of parsley. Super easy and super flavorful!
Personal connections
No more internet connections but face-to-face interaction is what we are craving. Good food and drink is what we are hankering. Celebrate gathering with your friends and family by treating them to a delicious meal, Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak.
Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak
Equipment
- grill or grill pan
- blender
Ingredients
Chimichurri
- 2 tablespoons Fresno chile finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons red onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice and zest one lime
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup cilantro packed and chopped, leaves and stems
- ¾ cup Italian parsley packed and chopped, leaves and stems
- 1 tablespoon oregano chopped
- 1 teaspoon chives minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 pound skirt steak
Grilled Vegetable Pesto
- ½ sweet onion small onion
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 tomato large, heirloom or beef steak
- ¾ cup basil leaves
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup walnuts
- ⅓ cup pecorino cheese
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
Sandwich
- 4 flatbreads
- 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
Chimichurri Marinade
- Prepare the marinade 3 hours before grilling
- In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice and zest, red wine vinegar, and kosher salt. Let the salt dissolve.
- After about 5 minutes, add the Fresno chile, red onion, cilantro, parsley, oregano, and chives to the bowl.
- While stirring, add the olive oil. Remove about ¼ cup of the chimichurri for later use.
- Place the skirt steak in a glass baking dish. Pour the chimichurri over the meat, making sure that all surfaces of the meat are covered.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
Grilling Vegetable Pesto
- When the meat has been marinating for close to three hours, get the grill ready. Make sure the coals are glowing red before placing vegetables on the rack. Lightly coat the rack with a paper towel dipped in vegetable oil.
- Prior to grilling, cut the vegetables into pieces such as quarter the pepper. You do not want the vegetable pieces to be so small they fall through the grilling rack.
- Once the peppers, tomatoes, and onions start to char, remove them from the grill. Add to a blender. Pulse the blender 3-4 times to mince the grilled vegetables. You can do this step after the steak is off the grill and resting.
- Add the basil, garlic, walnuts, pecorino cheese, and olive oil to the blender. Pulse again 3-4 times. The pesto should not be completely pureed. It should be a little chunky.
- Place the steak on the grill. It only takes about 5-6 minutes (3 minutes a side) to grill the skirt steak. It depends on the thickness of the steak. Many times the ends of the steak are thinner than the middle. Keep this in mind when you are grilling. You may want to trim the steak so you can grill the thinner pieces separately from the thicker pieces. Also, it is better to cook the meat to medium-rare on the grill. If cooked too long it can be tough and dry to eat.
- Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing
Assemble the sandwich
- I like to use flatbread to make this sandwich. But you can use whatever bread you prefer.
- Lay slices of the steak on the bread. You can brush some of the reserved chimichurri on the meat. Drizzle some of the pesto on top of the meat. Garnish with avocado slices and parsley leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
Leave a Reply