Thai Beef Salad with Red Leaf Lettuce

This is probably my absolute favorite salad in the world, homemade or otherwise.  It is also quite easy to make, and very healthy.  It is from Mark Bittman's Food Matters, a really interesting book that discusses how eating healthier (and vegetarian from when you wake up until dinner) is not just good for you, but is also really good for the planet.  A version of this recipe was published in Runner's World, and I'll reproduce my version of it below.  

8 ounces skirt or hanger steak (both cuts I really like)
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn (or other lettuce)1 cup fresh herbs (I use a mix of basil, mint, and cilantro)
1/4 cup red onion, minced or sliced thin
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce) or soy sauce
2 thai or red fresno chilies, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Heat a charcoal or gas grill or a broiler to medium-high; the rack should be about four inches from the heat source. Grill or broil the beef until medium-rare, about five to 10 minutes; set it aside to cool. Toss the lettuce with the herbs, onion, and cucumber. Combine all remaining ingredients with one tablespoon of water—the mixture will be thin—and toss the greens with this dressing. Transfer the greens to a platter, reserving the dressing. Thinly slice the beef, reserving its juice; combine the juice with the remaining dressing. Lay the slices of beef over the salad, drizzle the dressing over all. Serves four.


Notes: This can also be made with chicken or shrimp, but it isn't nearly as good.  Adding the juice of the beef back to the dressing adds another layer of flavor to the salad and really blends all the flavors together.  I really like this salad because it is a pretty small amount of beef over huge piles of fresh, crisp greens.  The steak is best cooked medium rare... as you can probably tell I overdid it this time around and ended up around medium.  I think a skirt steak needs only about 3-4 minutes a side under the broiler to get to medium rare.


At some point, I will make something that isn't a Mark Bittman recipe and doesn't feature citrus.  Probably sooner rather than later, but citrus flavors are pretty great in the spring.