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Cook time
5 minutes
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Serves
1
Author Notes
This recipe is a weeknight workhouse of a supper, something I like to cook for myself when I have time for nothing else. The real star here is the lime and fish sauce butter, which is, in my humble opinion, the best steak sauce in the world. Sweet, salty, and life-affirming, it's at once funky caramel and umami personified. One word of advice: Turn on your range hood vent. —Eric Kim
Test Kitchen Notes
Featured in: A 5-Minute Steak Dinner for Those Nights When You Just Can't. —The Editors
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Steak Dinner for One With Fish Sauce & Lime Butter
Ingredients
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1
thin-cut boneless strip steak or rib eye, 1/2-inch thick (about 7 to 8 ounces)
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1 pinch
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
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1 tablespoon
grapeseed oil (or other oil with a high smoke point)
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1
small handful green beans
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1
lime (1/2 juiced, 1/2 wedged for serving)
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1 teaspoon
fish sauce
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1/2 teaspoon
dark brown sugar
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1 tablespoon
cold, unsalted butter
Directions
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Pat steak dry with paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet until smoking slightly, then add oil followed by the steak. Pressing down with tongs, cook for 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second side, or until medium-rare.
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Plate the steak, then throw in green beans and toss in the fat, cooking for about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Plate the beans alongside the resting steak.
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Take the pan off the heat, then add lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and butter. Stir until the butter is incorporated. Pour the sauce all over the steak and beans and serve with the remaining lime wedges. Enjoy with a glass of red wine.
Eric Kim was the Table for One columnist at Food52. He is currently working on his first cookbook, KOREAN AMERICAN, to be published by Clarkson Potter in 2022. His favorite writers are William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and Ernest Hemingway, but his hero is Nigella Lawson. You can find his bylines at The New York Times, where he works now as a writer. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ericjoonho.
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