Thisssssssss is the HEIGHT of a satisfying, easy weeknight dinner, friends. The steak gets a delicious sear and is then roasted to medium rare perfection, and the whole thing is topped off with a WONDERFUL, fresh, crunchy, satisfying spicy cucumber salsa.
It’s dinner dreams, feel me? It’s the combination of flavors and textures that will make your taste buds sing Christmas carols all year round.
Let’s talk details a little bit here:
- The steak is super simple – we don’t do a whole lot to it because the cucumber salsa is such a flavor powerhouse. We just season it with salt and pepper, give a hard sear for about 3 minutes a side, and pop it in the oven for several minutes. Oh, we also throw some ghee and crushed garlic in there and then spoon that over top once its done. No biggie….But it’s actually a huge biggie – FLAVOR TOWN.
- The spicy cucumber salsa. When you first try it, you might think it’s a little too spicy on its own, but I think it’s the perfect level when paired with the steak. But if you are a mild spice lover, half the jalapeno or omit it all together! Here’s what’s in it: avocado, cucumber, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic. Mince it up, stir it up, season, and looooaaaaddd onto your steak!
It’s fresh, it’s hearty, and it is so wonderfully flavorful! The perfect pairing.
Now as for the cut of steak, I used skirt. Good substitutes for this would be hanger or flank – those will end with a similar texture and flavor. However, you can use any steak here! Ribeye, NY Strip – anything. The cook time in the oven will be different, though. For all cuts, you are wanting it to come out of the oven between 135 and 140 degrees. Once it rests at that temp, it’ll be a delicious medium rare! So be checking for that while your steak is in the oven – you don’t want to overcook it!
You guys are going to love this recipe!
Steak with Spicy Cucumber Salsa
This delicious Whole 30, Paleo, and Keto weeknight dinner has the most delicious flavor combo and is no fuss to put together!
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Salsa
- 2 avocados, scooped out of the peels and diced
- 1 hot house cucumber, halved, seeds scooped out, diced
- 2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced
- 1/4 cup red onion, minced (about 1/2 of a small red onion)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (measure after chopping) (about 1 bunch)
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
For the Steak
- 1 1/2 – 2 pounds skirt steak
- 3 tablespoon ghee, divided (or butter if not paleo/whole 30)
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. While it’s preheating, make your salsa so the flavors can be melding while your steak cooks
- To make the salsa, combine all ingredients except for the avocado in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Gently stir in the avocado and season to taste with salt and pepper
- Season your steak liberally with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee and a big swirl of olive oil in an oven safe skillet (a cast iron is great here) over medium high heat
- When very hot, add your steak and sear for 3 minutes per side. When both sides have seared, add your remaining 2 tablespoons of ghee + your crushed garlic into the pan with your steak. Stir that around a bit and then place the whole pan in your preheated oven for 5 minutes*
- When it comes out, spoon the garlic butter mixture over the steak for about 30 seconds. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for several minutes before serving and topping with cucumber salsa!
Notes
*This cook time was for my cut of steak. Each steak is going to be a little different in size and thickness – make sure you use a meat thermometer and are checking periodically – you want a temp of 135-140 for medium rare (the temp will raise a bit during the rest).
If you can’t find skirt steak, hanger or flank would be great substitutes for that particular cut. But any cut of steak will work great here, the cook time will just change depending on what it is.
If you don’t want the salsa to be spicy, either half or omit the jalapeno
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of steak + 1/4 of salsa
- Calories: 651
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 133 mg
- Fat: 49 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 43 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and tag @thegarlicdiaries so I can see!
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