Fall

Broiled Marinated Skirt Steak with Cilantro and Preserved Lemon Gremolata

by:
December  1, 2009
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Prep time 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 2-4
Author Notes

I recently purchased 40 pounds (!) of grass-fed beef as part of a cow share. The meat came in many different cuts, one of which was skirt steak. Skirt steak comes from the diaphragm muscle of the cow and is long and flat. It cooks very quickly, and is delicious when grilled or broiled. it does not have to be marinated but I prefer the extra flavor that results when you do so, and I love this Asian-style marinade. To keep with the Asian theme, I made a cilantro gremolata (gremolata is usually made with parsley) to spoon on top. Gremolata is not generally made with preserved lemon, but I made a large batch this summer and like to use it in recipes instead of lemon zest; feel free to substitute regular lemon zest, though. —WinnieAb

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Marinate and Broil the Steak
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 dash toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 pound skirt steak, grass-fed if possible
  • course salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • Make the Gremolata and Serve
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
  • 1 teaspoon preserved lemon rind, minced (or use freshly grated lemon zest)
  • 1 pinch black lava sea salt (or "regular" course salt)
Directions
  1. Marinate and Broil the Steak
  2. Mix olive oil through red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Place the skirt steak in the bowl with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to a day), turning the steak in the marinade one or more times, if possible (to make sure it is all covered at some point).
  3. Preheat your broiler to high. Place a piece of foil over a large baking sheet and lay the skirt steak on top. Pour the remaining marinade on top of the steak. Broil for 4 minutes on each side (for rare); broil a bit longer on each side if you prefer it a bit more well done.
  1. Make the Gremolata and Serve
  2. While the steak is cooking, mix the gremolata ingredients together.
  3. Remove the steak from the oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. "Tent" the steak with another piece of foil for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve sliced across the grain, with the gremolata spooned over.
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Cordelia
    Cordelia
  • dymnyno
    dymnyno
  • AntoniaJames
    AntoniaJames
  • Jennifer Ann
    Jennifer Ann
  • lastnightsdinner
    lastnightsdinner
I grew up in a restaurant family (my parents owned the now closed Quilted Giraffe in NYC) and I've always loved to cook. My interest in the connection between food and health led me to pursue a graduate degree in naturopathic medicine. I don't practice medicine anymore; I have a blog called Healthy Green Kitchen that I started in May of 2009 and I wrote a book called One Simple Change that will be published in January, 2014. I live in upstate New York with my family and many pets.

9 Reviews

Cordelia December 13, 2009
This looks great. Love love the great idea of the Gremolata. I use this as inspiration for a skirt steak I made yesterday, though mine was more on the Mexican side. I am happy to have more options to use my preserved lemons. I hope you like my recipe as well.
 
dymnyno December 10, 2009
Lucky you to share a grass fed beef...the flavor is so more...what...flavorful!! The gremolata has my favorite flavors cilantro and lemon.
 
WinnieAb December 11, 2009
Yes, we are enjoying the beef- we only eat meet once a week or so, so it's going to last a while!
 
AntoniaJames December 10, 2009
I'm so fortunate to have fresh lemons so conveniently available, that it has never occurred to me to preserve them. I am going to do that now . . . . but I'm going to make this with fresh zest in the meantime!! By the way, why do you prefer preserved lemon to zest? All of this is quite new to me. Thank you.
 
WinnieAb December 11, 2009
I went on a preserving kick over the summer and since I often see recipes featuring preserved lemons but don't see them in shops where I live, I decided to tack those on to the project list. I know there are a few recipes floating around food52, but the recipe I used is found on my blog toward the bottom of this post:
http://blog.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/more-ways-to-preserve-fruit.html
I like the preserved lemon because it's incredibly flavorful, but regular zest is fine here, too!
 
Jennifer A. December 3, 2009
I made this for dinner tonight (with simple soba noodles on the side) and it was amazing! I loved the balance of the fresh cilantro with tanginess of the preserved lemon.
 
WinnieAb December 3, 2009
I am so glad you enjoyed it!
 
lastnightsdinner December 1, 2009
Oh YUM. I love your twist on gremolata.
 
WinnieAb December 1, 2009
Thanks!