When I think of a good steak salad, I want freshly grilled steak served over crisp mixed greens and a summery dressing (no matter the season). This Thai Beef Salad fits the bill for me! You grill the steak, slice it thinly, and serve it over a bed of dressed salad greens!
A Delicious Summer Salad Recipe
Now, this isn’t a traditional Yum Nua Thai beef salad. It’s inspired by it, but this is just a simple summer steak salad I came up with that borrows from Thai flavors while being more accessible to home cooks.
And don’t get this mixed up with Sarah’s Chinese-style Spicy Beef Salad, either, which is high on herbs and aromatics but light on greens! (For the record, both of those are probably closer to a salad of beef rather than a salad with beef.)
The Herbs Make the Salad
In recent years, we’ve really enjoyed incorporating more herbs into salads as part of the main event, not just a seasoning.
Fresh herbs really make the difference in this Thai Beef Salad—the flavors of cilantro, Thai basil, and mint are really set off by the lime juice and fish sauce in the dressing!
To save on your herb budget, you can use the tender parts of the herb stems in the steak marinade or even the salad dressing (just mince them finely and discard the bottom parts of the stems that can be tough and woody), since they still have lots of good, strong flavor. Then reserve the tender leaves for the salad itself.
We call for spring mix for variety and romaine lettuce, which gives salad extra substance and a fresh crunch.
What Cut of Steak Can I Use?
Every cut of beef has its merits, whether it be price, flavor, or tenderness. We used a skirt steak for this salad because it has a nice beefy flavor and is relatively affordable. You could use whatever you like—flank, ribeye, sirloin steak, or even filet mignon!
If you’re baffled by my choice of skirt steak, slicing it thin makes up for what can sometimes be a tougher texture compared to other cuts. Also, the long marinating time not only lets Thai flavors like fish sauce and Thai basil penetrate the meat, it also helps tenderize it. Try not to shortcut the marinating time for that reason!
For more tender cuts like ribeye or filets, you can just coat the steak with the marinade and you’re ready to go in 20 minutes!
A Few Steak Grilling Tips
I think the best way to grill the beef is over a grill with natural hardwood lump charcoal to give it the best flavor. If it’s too cold outside or you don’t have a grill, you can also use a stovetop grill pan, which is what we did when we photographed this recipe, or even a cast iron skillet.
Just make sure the grill or grill pan is nice and hot, especially if you are using skirt steak. It’s a thin cut, so you want every second to count towards getting a nice crust without overcooking the meat.
Thai Beef Salad Recipe Instructions
Marinate the beef:
In a medium to large bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, minced cilantro and Thai basil stems, oil, sugar, pepper, and salt.
Add the steak and rub the marinade mixture all over the steak. Set aside to marinate overnight (or, for more tender cuts, at least 20 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients).
Prepare the dressing and salad ingredients:
In a small bowl, dissolve the brown sugar or palm sugar in the hot water. Whisk in the lime juice, oil, fish sauce, chopped cilantro and Thai basil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
To a large bowl, add the mixed greens, romaine lettuce, chopped scallion, cilantro, mint, and Thai basil. Toss in the cucumbers and tomatoes right before you dress the salad so the salad does not get too wet.
Grill the beef:
Preheat a grill or grill pan/cast iron skillet until searing hot. Add the marinated skirt steak, and let it cook for about 1 minute.
Next, rotate the skirt steak 45° to get more grill marks (and flavor!), moving it to the hotter side of the grill if you have the room to do so. Cook for another minute.
Flip the steak and repeat these steps for the other side. That’s 4 minutes total cooking time, and your steak should be cooked medium-rare. You can cook it to medium if desired with 3 minutes per side. If using a thicker cut, you will have to adjust your cooking time accordingly. After grilling, let the steak rest for 3-5 minutes (or up to 10 minutes if using a thicker cut).
Assemble & serve:
Pour about half of the salad dressing over the salad. Toss and add more dressing to taste.
Transfer to two large plates. After the beef has rested, slice the steak against the grain into bite-size slices, and gently place equal portions on top of each salad. Top the salads with chopped peanuts and Thai chili if using, and serve any remaining dressing on the side for folks who want extra drizzled over their beef!
If you like, serve with a refreshing Thai Iced Tea!
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Recipe
Thai Beef Salad
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons minced cilantro stems
- 2 teaspoons minced Thai basil stems
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces skirt steak (or your favorite cut)
For the dressing:
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar ( or palm sugar)
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (or light olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 teaspoons chopped Thai basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon garlic (finely minced)
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
For the salad:
- 3 cups romaine lettuce
- 3 cups mixed baby salad greens
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn cilantro (more or less to taste)
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn mint (more or less to taste)
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn Thai Basil (more or less to taste)
- 1¼ cup sliced cucumber
- 8-10 grape tomatoes (halved)
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts (chopped)
- Thai Chili pepper (deseeded and minced, optional)
Instructions
- In a medium to large bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, minced cilantro and Thai basil stems, oil, sugar, pepper, and salt. Add the steak, and rub the marinade mixture all over the steak. Set aside to marinate overnight (or, for more tender cuts, at least 20 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients).
- In a small bowl, dissolve the brown sugar or palm sugar in the hot water. Whisk in the lime juice, oil, fish sauce, chopped cilantro and Thai basil, garlic, and salt and pepper.
- To a large bowl, add the mixed greens, romaine lettuce, chopped scallion, cilantro, mint, and Thai basil. Toss in the cucumbers and tomatoes right before you dress the salad so the salad does not get too wet.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan/cast iron skillet until searing hot. Add the marinated skirt steak, and let it cook for about 1 minute. Next, rotate the skirt steak 45° to get more grill marks (and flavor!), moving it to the hotter side of the grill if you have the room to do so. Cook for another minute.
- Flip the steak and repeat these steps for the other side. That’s 4 minutes total cooking time, and your steak should be cooked medium-rare. You can cook it to medium if desired with 3 minutes per side. If using a thicker cut, you will have to adjust your cooking time accordingly. After grilling, let the steak rest for 3-5 minutes (or up to 10 minutes if using a thicker cut).
- Pour about half of the salad dressing over the salad. Toss and add more dressing to taste. Transfer to two large plates. After the beef has rested, slice the steak against the grain into bite-size slices, and gently place equal portions on top of each salad. Top the salads with chopped peanuts and Thai chili if using, and serve any remaining dressing on the side for folks who want extra drizzled over their beef!
