Sunday, May 5, 2013

Secret Recipe Club: Salt-Marinated Steak

My partner for this month's Secret Recipe Club was Anne of Authentic Simplicity.  The day I chose a recipe from her blog, my boyfriend and I had both had a really long week - he had a big project at work that kept him there until 1 am one night, and I was catching up from being away at a conference in Chicago.  So, I wanted to make something special for dinner to celebrate the arrival of the weekend! In our apartment, "special dinner" most often means steak, and luckily Anne has a fantastic steak recipe on her blog!  I love her method of marinating the steak with lots of salt.  I've made dry-brined turkey that involves a similar method, but since a steak is much smaller than a whole turkey, the marinating time is only 20-30 minutes.  The salt rub made the steak super moist and flavorful - and it was so easy!  I was a big fan and I'll definitely be using this technique again in the future.  Thanks, Anne!

On the side: braised carrots with cumin seeds and potato salad.



Salt-Marinated Steak (adapted from Authentic Simplicity, original recipe here)
Serves 2

1 pound tri-tip steak
2 T fresh basil, minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil

1. Pat the steaks dry.  Sprinkle with the basil, and then season very generously with kosher salt.  Rub the salt and basil into the steak.  Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
2. Rinse the salt and basil off the steaks, and pat them dry.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.
3. Heat grill pan (or skillet) over high heat.  Pour a little oil on a paper towel, and rub onto the grill pan.  Add the steaks, and cook for a few minutes on each side, until the steak is cooked how you like it.
4. Transfer steak to a cutting board, cover with foil, and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

19 comments:

  1. Looks like an A+ dinner to me.

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  2. What an interesting method! Will have to try it!

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  3. anything with steak, and i am in!

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  4. The first time I read the title of this, I swear it said self-marinated steak. I was trying to figure out what on earth that meant. I have BABY BRAIN so bad as evidenced by my SRC post this month! That looks wonderful. Love a simple marinade.

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  5. Most steak houses (good ones anyway!) only use salt and pepper on the steak so that it can just shine on its own. I hate going out and having sauce on my steak, I always think they are trying to hide old meat!

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  6. I just did a story about a guy making sea salt from our bay water. I, of course, took home lots of samples. I will definitely give this recipe a try with some of that salt. Thanks for sharing with the SRC.

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  7. Steak, even though I eat it pretty infrequently, is one of the big reasons why I could not be (or wouldn't be completely happy as) a vegetarian! lol This sounds delicious... and boy are we familiar with "those" kinds of weeks. Hope this week is better for you guys.

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  8. sounds like a lovely steak recipe!!

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  9. I never thought to do a salt marinade like that - looks fantastic Sara!

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  10. Glad you enjoyed it! This is our favorite way to enjoy steak... when we have it, which is rare!

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  11. Oh yum. I have a couple of steaks in the freezer, so I'll have to give this a try. Great choice for this month.

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  12. I can't believe I have never made steaks before! This sounds fantastic!

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  13. Simple and delicious! Sounds like it was just what you guys needed.

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  14. Sounds like a delicious steak to me!

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  15. Hello Sara
    What a great pick for the SRC. I have tried this technique with chicken but never with a steak. Can't wai to give this a try

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  16. Sometimes there is just nothing like a good steak--and that's coming from someone who often could be a vegetarian. ;)

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  17. I am coming across so many salting/bining recipes today lol. But steak is a first! Love how moist it sounds.

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  18. What a perfectly grilled steak..looks delicius! I love the salt-basil dry marinade idea! Great SRC choice!

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