I am a big fan of citrus flavours and of ginger so when we were trying out this recipe in The Stone Grill kitchen the other day I got quite excited. It combines a good piece of steak, an innovative salad with a very flavoursome dressing. It ended up not working out for the menu but it is too good not to share!

Steak salad with lime and ginger dressing recipe

Use a good quality steak, sirloin or something else depending on your taste. The ingredients list is long but the effort is well worth it.

Ingredients

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon red chilli, finely chopped

Salad

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon medium-dry Sherry
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• Steak of your choice, sliced or cubed
• 2 bunches watercress, cut into 1-inch lengths
• Leaf salad of your choice
• Thai basil leaves, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• ½ cucumber, sliced thinly
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 medium-size red onion, cut thinly
• 2 shallots, sliced into thin rounds
• 1/4 medium pineapple, peeled, cored, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices

Method

1. Mix oyster sauce, Sherry, soy sauce, chopped garlic and brown sugar in a bowl and marinate the steak for at least an hour.
2. Mix all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and blend.
3. Combine the leaf salad, watercress, Thai basil leaves, cucumber and tomatoes into a bowl. Toss in half the dressing.
4. Heat a pan over a high heat, add a little oil. Add the onions and shallots and fry lightly. Add the steak complete with marinade and add to the pan. Sauté until cooked to your taste.
5. Add the pineapple to the frying pan and heat through for 1 minute.
6. Add the pan juice to the leaf salad and then add the steak, onions and pineapple.
7. Serve.

This is a very effective recipe for those long summer days when you want a steak but not a full steak dinner. It really delivers on taste!