Grill/Barbecue

Grilled Flank Steak with Asian Green Sauce (Shiso, Miso, Daikon & Pear)

by:
July 20, 2011
4
3 Ratings
Grilled Flank Steak with Asian Green Sauce (Shiso, Miso, Daikon & Pear)
  • Serves 2-4 depending on appetite
Author Notes

While I can appreciate an unadulterated piece of juicy steak, I love grilled steak with salsa verde. Something about the contrast of the rich meat with the piquant sauce makes my taste buds buzz. Here is my Asian take on green sauce, keeping sweet basil, garlic and lemon as the backbone, but adding shiso, miso, and Asian pear for a sweeter, earthier sauce. It maintains a bite thanks to the grated daikon and slightly smoky edge from the sesame oil. We made a meal of it by simply adding steamed rice and a green salad. - gingerroot —gingerroot

Test Kitchen Notes

We cut into our steak, slathered it with some of gingerroot’s green sauce and both took a bite, simultaneously we said “mmm that is nice and bright." The herby, lemony sauce is perfectly balanced with a little bite of garlic and the toastiness from the sesame oil. I was a bit worried about salting a steak for so long, but it works well, the steak ends up really nicely seasoned and develops a great char on the grill. Due to grocery store shortfalls, I had to use a plain 'ole lemon and I subbed a Fuji apple for the Asian pear, but the sauce was really delicious so I know it didn’t suffer. I also had the sauce on grilled veggies and it was tasty there too. Thumbs up for an EP!!! - aargersi —aargersi

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Steak
  • 1 1/4- 1 1/2 pound flank steak
  • kosher salt
  • For the Asian Green Sauce (Shiso, Miso, Daikon & Pear)
  • 4-5 sweet basil leaves cut into chiffonade (for ¼ cup)
  • 6-7 green shiso leaves cut into chiffonade (for 1/3 cup)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest (I used one small lemon)
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • 2 teaspoons white miso
  • 2 teaspoons Meyer lemon juice, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon grated daikon (remove outer layer of skin with a sharp knife or peeler)
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons Asian or Korean pear, minced
Directions
  1. START ONE DAY AHEAD: Dust both sides of steak with salt. Roll steak and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Remove steak from fridge and then get your grill going. You want to let your steak come up to room temperature before cooking.
  3. While waiting for your grill to heat up and steak to reach room temperature, make the Asian green sauce by combining ingredients in a bowl. Gently stir to mix thoroughly. Taste for lemon juice and add more if desired. Set aside until ready to eat.
  4. Pat both sides of steak dry with a paper towel. Grill steak until well seared with a nice crust on one side, about 4-6 minutes. Flip steak using tongs and continue grilling on the other side until cooked to your liking, about another 4-5 minutes (give or take a few minutes depending on the heat of the fire and thickness of your steak).
  5. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let steak rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Slice meat against the grain at a slight angle to desired thickness. Serve immediately with Asian green sauce and steamed rice (if desired). Enjoy!
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  • checker
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    Midge
  • aargersi
    aargersi
gingerroot

Recipe by: gingerroot

My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me - sharing food with loved ones - and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I'm usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love. Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I'm not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.

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19 Reviews

checker
checker August 25, 2011
Loving the sauce. And the steak. The whole thing really.
 
gingerroot
gingerroot August 25, 2011
Thanks, checker! I really love green shiso.
 
Ms. T.
Ms. T. August 6, 2011
This sounds divine! The house we recently moved into has a prolific Asian pear tree in the garden. It's not a fruit that's in my typical repetoire, so last fall the birds got most of the pears before I could figure out what to do with them. This year at harvest time, I will be armed with a new recipe and ready to pounce :)
 
gingerroot
gingerroot August 6, 2011
Thanks so much! Wow, an Asian pear tree in the garden? Lucky! I hope you enjoy this.
 
EmilyC
EmilyC July 21, 2011
Love this! I definitely need to buy miso now to make your sauce and aargersi's raspberry miso dressing!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 22, 2011
Thanks, EmilyC! I'd love to hear your thoughts if you try this.
 
Midge
Midge July 21, 2011
What a brilliant sauce gingerroot. Yum!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 22, 2011
Thanks so much, Midge!
 
aargersi
aargersi July 21, 2011
Yum! Sounds nice and bright and summery - and I rooted some shiso from the market so now we have a big pot of it!!!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 22, 2011
Yay! I think shiso is a lovely herb to have on hand. Thanks, a!
 
fiveandspice
fiveandspice July 21, 2011
Oh wow! I have been obsessing over salsa verde lately, and I love your beautiful Asian version. I will definitely be giving that a try!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 22, 2011
Thank you, fiveandspice! I hope you enjoy it if you give it a whirl. It is definitely mellower than traditional green sauce, but definitely captures the spirit of it.
 
healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen July 21, 2011
Great combination and I even have shiso growing now!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 22, 2011
Thank you, healthierkitchen!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian July 20, 2011
I love your Asian green sauce!!! It sound like it would be terrific with lots of things!! I'm definitely making this!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 21, 2011
Thanks so much, ChezSuzanne! I started by thinking about Asian ingredients that could stand in for traditional salsa verde ingredients. You are right, I think it would work with a lot of different grilled meats, especially fish. I'd love to hear your thoughts if you try it.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour July 20, 2011
This sounds outstanding! Love your Japanese inspired take on salsa verde. Though I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be enough to serve 4 around my household!
 
gingerroot
gingerroot July 20, 2011
Lol, fair enough, I sometimes forget that my "four" includes two pint sized appetites (well, unless we are talking about pancakes). Thanks, hardlikearmour!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour July 20, 2011
I'm sure we are more gluttonous than most, too!