Verdant and bold-flavored, chimichurri is one of South America’s finest contributions to the world’s sauces. If available, buy “outside” skirt steak, which is considered superior in flavor and tenderness to “inside” skirt steak. Or substitute flank steak or flat iron steak.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
For the marinade
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
- The juice of 1 lime
For the Chimichurri Sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/2 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea), or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian blend herbs
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more to taste
Directions
Step 1
Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Combine the marinade and steak in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal and chill for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. (An overnight marinade gives the steak more flavor.)
Step 2
Combine all the ingredients for the Chimichurri Sauce in a blender or food processor and process until fairly smooth. heat up until the fat starts to cook out of the fish, about 4 minutes. At this point, you may press gently on fish so that the skin is flat against the pan. Continue to cook until the skin is super-crisp and the flesh is mostly opaque (you can increase or decrease the heat slightly if needed, but don’t try to rush it), 8 to 12 minutes longer, depending on the thickness of the fish. Less fatty fish won’t release as much fat on their own, so you may need to add a splash more olive oil into the skillet if the skin isn’t getting crisp enough. Turn the fish and cook just until opaque all the way through, about 1 minute.
Step 3
Preheat a grill pan or grill to medium-high heat. Oil with vegetable oil. Sear the steak for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until nicely browned on the outside and pink in the middle.
Step 4
Thinly slice the steak on a sharp diagonal across the grain and serve with the Chimichurri Sauce on top.
Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from lecremedelacrumb.com