There’s nothing I love more than a dinner salad. To me, that means a salad that encompasses all the essential parts of a meal (and then some) in one hearty dish. As the weather gets warmer, I’m turning my attention to steak salad, filled with the season’s bounty. Here, New York strip steak gets cooked until medium-rare and served over butter lettuce studded with cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, charred corn, and crumbled feta. Dress it with a flavorful lemon-scallion vinaigrette and enjoy your dinner-in-one.
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.
