Steak With Lemon-Parmesan Arugula Salad

The lemon vinaigrette is straightforward and simple. It should probably be doubled for you to douse your summer produce all season long. Lemon juice and zest, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and a few scoops of Parmesan cheese is my new go-to salad dressing.

And just when you thought this recipe couldn’t get anymore carefree (it is summer after all), it gives you the freedom to choose your cut of beef because I never understood why recipes specified the cut you *should* use anyway. Use flank steak, ribeye, NY strip, or whatever funky farmer’s market slice you can get your hands on.

My only request is that you do not overcook the steak (whatever that means to you), so invest in a good meat thermometer that you will use far more frequently than that KitchenAid stand mixer you had to have. Just saying.

Don’t reheat your leftovers (in the interest of not overcooking), and make a sandwich instead: Slice open a good baguette, slather it with garlic-heavy pesto, lay a few (cold!) slices of leftover steak on one side, pile it with leftover salad, and eat it over nothing but a napkin.

How to make Steak and Arugula Salad

Here is the most important part of this recipe: Season the steak well with salt. If all else fails, at least you’ll have a flavorful cut of beef.

While the salt seeps into the steak, you’ll whisk together the lemon vinaigrette. Pour as much as you’d like onto the crunchy arugula to soften its bite. You’ll probably have some leftover, which you can use to make a quick pan sauce. I’ll explain that later.

How to cook steak in a pan on the stove

For well-marbled cuts of steak that are 1 1/2-inches thick or greater (such as NY strip or ribeye): Add the steak to a cold (yes, cold!), nonstick or carbon steel pan (Note: In an earlier version of the recipe I used a cast iron pan, as in the photos below, but found more consistent success with nonstick/carbon steel pans) and place it on your stovetop. Heat the pan to high. The idea is to heat the steak slowly and gradually rather than searing it over crazy-high heat and causing dribbles of hot steak fat to Jackson Pollock your kitchen. It’s a less-mess method that I learned from Cook’s Illustrated.

Cook the steak, flipping every 2-3 minutes and turning the heat to medium after it’s been flipped once on all sides, until dark walnut-brown on both sides and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak reads 125°F for medium-rare.

Let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes (on the shorter side if it’s thinner, longer if it’s thicker).

How to grill steak on a charcoal or gas grill

If you’re using a well-marbled steak that is 1 1/2-inches thick or greater, I’d suggest preheating an oven-safe skillet (such as cast iron) directly on your grill. This will prevent flare-ups from all of that gorgeous fat dripping onto hot coals. If you’re using a thinner cut of steak, you can place it directly on the grill. For a gas grill, heat the pan to medium. For a charcoal grill, set up the grill for two-zone heat and place the steak on top of the hotter zone.

Cook the steak, flipping every 2-3 minutes and moving to a colder part of the grill if it starts to brown too quickly, until dark walnut-brown on both sides and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steak reads 125°F for medium-rare. Close the grill in-between flips to preserve heat. It’s best to maintain a temperature of 450°F to 500°F when grilling steaks. Let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes (on the shorter side if it’s thinner, longer if it’s thicker).

More easy grilling recipes:

• Grilled Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic-Gochugaru Butter
• The Best Turkey Burgers