Cocoa and Chili Crusted Steak with Jalapeno Chimichurri
Paleo and Whole 30 approved!
Author:Annie Chesson
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:6 minutes
Total Time:21 minutes
Yield:2 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the steaks
2 strip loin steaks (mine were 10 oz each)*
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ghee (or butter if not paleo/Whole 30)
Salt
Olive oil for cooking the steak
For the jalapeno chimichurri
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, about 1 bunch (measure after you’ve chopped the herbs)
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, about 1/2 bunch (measure after you’ve chopped the herbs)
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Bring the steaks to room temperature, if possible, before cooking. At the very least, take them out of the fridge while you make your chimichurri
For the chimichurri, add all the ingredients (cilantro, parsley, jalapeno, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar) to a bowl and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let this sit while you do everything else so that the flavors can develop and come together
Add your cocoa powder and chili powder to a small bowl and stir to fully combine
Season both sides of your steaks with salt, and rub the cocoa/chili mixture into both sides of the meat until you have used it all (should be 1/2 teaspoon per side of each steak)
Heat your ghee and a good drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet
When hot, add your steaks. Sear for 3 minutes per side (or until a meat thermometer reads 145) and remove the steaks to rest for at least five minutes. Cook time may vary based on size of steaks, so the meat thermometer comes in handy
Once the steaks have rested, slice them and top with chimichurri sauce
Notes
*Strip loin steaks are also called strip steaks or New York strip steaks.
The recipe makes about 1 cup of chimichurri, so you will probably have some extra left over!