Grilled Flank Steak with Roasted Poblano Salsa

 

It's hard to say exactly why but for some reason, when summer comes, we just crave Mexican flavors. It seems like a contradiction - you'd think that in the heat the spicy flavors would be something to avoid, but it seems to be the opposite. Anyone know why that would be?

In any case, this recipe for a grilled flank steak with a poblano salsa was quite easy to prepare and gives a wonderful, circusy, deep flavor to the steak. We roasted some parsnips on the side, but you could easily substitue for some yuca, or potatoes, and have the same effect. The flank steak is not particularly fatty, so be careful not to overcook it. We cooked it to a nice medium, almost medium rare, and the flavor was great.

Making the Dish

What You'll Need
1 lb flank steak
3 tomatoes
2 - 3 poblano peppers
1 onion, sliced into 1/2 in thick circles
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley


To get started, remove the flank steak from the fridge and sprinkle salt all over. Let rest at room temperature while you prepare your salsa.

Turn on the broiler in the oven or light up your grill. Roast the tomatoes, poblanos, and onion slices until charred all over, turning every few minutes so that they cook evenly. Depending on how hot the broiler/grill is, this should take about 7 - 10 minutes.

Remove the veggies from the heat and let cool until they're able to be handled. Slice the poblanos and remove the seeds.

Add the poblanos, tomatoes, and onion to a food processor. Add in the two cloves of garlic, and then pulse the food processor until the salsa comes to your desired consistency.

Remove half of the salsa and put it in a bowl (a little more than half if you plan on dipping some chips into it!). This is the salsa that you'll be using to top the steak. Add the fresh parsley into the salsa that remains in the food processor, and pulse until the mix is a smooth, green puree.

Wipe the excess salt off of the flank steak. Then, spoon the poblano puree over the steak, gently rubbing it in, getting it into the cracks where possible. Let rest for about 15 minutes while the flavors start to integrate with the steak.

Finally, place the steak on the grill or under the broiler. Cook for about 4 - 5 minutes per side, depending on the size of the steak (ours was about an inch thick and 4 - 5 minutes per side resulted in a perfect medium cook). When the steak is done, let it rest for a good 15 minutes so that the juices can distribute and the cooking can finish.

Finally, slice the flank steak across the grain into nice strips. Lay out on a plate, top with the remaining salsa, and add on any side that you worked up. Dig in and enjoy!

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