Why You’ll Love It
- It’s got all the textures. Crunchy, creamy, meaty—this salad is all about a balance of texture and flavor.
- The vinaigrette makes the salad shine. While the steak is prepared simply, it gets a ton of flavor from a punchy lemon-scallion dressing.
Key Ingredients in Steak Salad
- Steak: The recipe calls for boneless New York strip steaks, but you can use rib eyes, or another good-quality steak in its place.
- Corn: If corn isn’t in season, use frozen, thawed corn to give it the flavor of summer.
- Cherry tomatoes: Offer an acidic kick to the salad. You could also use sliced heirlooms here.
- Scallions: Add a bright, punchy flavor to the lemon vinaigrette.
- Butter lettuce: Contrasts nicely with the other salad components, but you could use other salad greens such as romaine, arugula, or spinach here.
Helpful Swaps
- Other salad greens, such as arugula, mixed greens, or spinach, can be used in place of butter lettuce.
- Ribeye works well in place of New York strip steak. You could also use skirt steak and just cut down the cook time.
- Try swapping feta for blue cheese.
Storage and Make-ahead Tips
- You can prepare all of the produce and the dressing up to one day ahead, and refrigerate in separate airtight containers.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to one day.
Steak Salad
Serves 4- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed if frozen
- 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 (about 1-inch-thick) boneless New York strip steaks (about 12 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 medium lemon)
- 4 medium scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 medium head butter lettuce, leaves separated
- 6 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 2 ripe but firm medium avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves (about 2 sprigs)
Meanwhile, pat two (12-ounce) boneless New York strip steaks dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper.
Wipe the skillet with paper towels. Heat over high heat just until it starts to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and swirl the skillet to coat the bottom. Add the steaks and cook until medium-rare and a brown crust forms, 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the steak should register about 130 degrees F). Transfer to a clean cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Whisk the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 4 thinly sliced medium scallions, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon honey, remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper together in a liquid measuring cup or small bowl until combined.
Arrange the leaves from one medium head of butter lettuce on a serving platter. Top with the charred corn, 6 ounces halved cherry tomatoes, two diced ripe medium avocados, and 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese. Drizzle with half of the dressing (about 1/3 cup).
Cut the steaks across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Shingle the slices on top of the salad and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Top with 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large.
Recipe notes: Instead of searing the steaks, they can be cooked on an outdoor grill. Heat the grill for direct, high heat (450 degrees F to 500 degrees F). Scrape grill grates clean if needed. Place seasoned steak on grill grates. Cover and grill until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 130 degrees F for medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
