Grilled Skirt Steak With Romesco Salsa Recipe

Excerpted from ‘Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day’ by Lidey Heuck

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Published March 21, 2024

Dane Tashima

Romesco is a pureed sauce made with tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olive oil, garlic, almonds, and parsley that originated in the Catalan region of Spain. It’s almost like a smoky Spanish pesto, and it’s one of my favorite sauces to eat with any kind of simply cooked meat or fish.

One night when I was making a batch of romesco, I was struck by how pretty the ingredients looked together before they were blended and decided to try making a rustic salsa with them. I never looked back. As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes, and I think there’s something extra delicious about seeing the little pieces of peppers, tomatoes, almonds, and parsley in each bite.

Piled on top of grilled skirt steak, this salsa turns this everyday cut of meat into a total showstopper. It’s also delicious on grilled or seared salmon, or served alongside a roast chicken. — Lidey Heuck

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the steak:

2 pounds skirt steak
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the romesco salsa:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

If necessary, cut the steak crosswise into pieces that are 6 to 8 inches long. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the steak and toss well to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 24. When you’re ready to cook the steak, remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the salsa: Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil and then the almonds and cook, tossing often, until the almonds are fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to let them burn!) Remove from the heat and using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl to cool. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, roasted peppers, vinegar, parsley, garlic, paprika, and salt. Toss and set aside.

Set the grill to medium-high heat (or heat a grill pan on the stovetop over medium-high). Cook the steak for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of each piece, for medium-rare and watching out for flare-ups. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle lightly with salt, and allow to rest for 10 minutes. While the steak rests, drain all but a few tablespoons of liquid from the salsa with a small spoon. (The amount of liquid will depend on how long the salsa has been sitting and how juicy the tomatoes are.) Add the almonds and toss.

Excerpted from Cooking in Real Life: Delicious & Doable Recipes for Every Day. Copyright @ 2024 by Lidey Heuck. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.